


The Harder They Fall

by miraculous_me



Series: Love and Dodgeball [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Fluff, LadyNoir - Freeform, Light Sin, Marichat, adrienette - Freeform, basically all of the love square, dodgeballAU, hotel makeouts, ladrien, sorry but the love square couldn't escape the angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-08-11 04:03:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 36,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7875439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculous_me/pseuds/miraculous_me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette Dupain-Cheng is invited to tryout for Team Miraculous, a Parisian dodgeball league formed with only the best of the best. The catch? Identities must be kept secret. Given a Ladybug mask, Marinette makes the team and catches the eye of a boy in a Black Cat mask with a killer throw. However a chance encounter with a blonde stranger leads Marinette’s heart in a different direction.</p>
<p>Adrien Agreste’s dodgeball obsession lead him to join Team Miraculous, a chance for him to get away from his life as a model. With a busy schedule and an overbearing father, Adrien’s only solace is the masked girl with the blue bell eyes and his budding friendship with the shy Marinette. Dodgeball!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Marinette clutched the piece of paper in one hand, trying to work up the nerve to exit the locker room. She read the note over and over again make sure she read it correctly, that there was no mistake. She was invited to tryout for Team Miraculous.

Team Miraculous was a Paris dodgeball legend. Over twenty years ago, they reached the height of fame when they won the National Dodgeball Tournament two years in a row. The team was at one point Parisian celebrities, but no one knew their real names. It was their gimmick and the public ate it up. They disappeared after losing in sectionals the next year, and never made an appearance in the dodgeball circuit again. It was a time before the rise of social media, but their legacy lived on. Whoever organized this tryout, whether they were affiliated with the original team or not, wanted to continue that legacy.

Marinette took a deep breath as she placed the red and black spotted mask over her eyes. The invitation’s instructions were clear. Arrive at the Bourgeois Recreation Center at 5 am, masked and ready to play. She didn’t know how the mysterious invitation appeared in her work locker or why she was selected, but she was more than grateful. She worked part time at the rec center in the cafe, where her parents provided the baked goods. Her job came with extra perks, including a full membership. Every day after work there was a co-ed dodgeball game in gym 4, she’d joined in as soon as her shift ended.

She wasn’t the best player, it was pure luck honestly. At first no one saw her as a threat so she practiced dodging wayward balls and somehow ended up being one of the last team member standing. Then she’d promptly get hit in the stomach. Over time she got better, catching the ball to get stronger players back into the game. She even stayed long after the games had ended to practice her aim.

The invitation came as a complete shock, there were other people in her group way better than her, maybe they got an invite as well?

Marinette was the last to arrive at the gym. A short Chinese man in a red Hawaiian shirt stood in front of the group on the bleachers, talking. He stopped at turned to her as the door made a loud thud behind her. All eyes were on her as she hurried to her seat next to a boy in a black cat mask. He winked, spreading his lips into a Cheshire grin.

“Very nice for you to join us Ladybug,” the old man said. “As I was saying, it is very important to keep your presence here a secret. There are twelve of you now, but only six will make the cut. Now that our final guest has arrived, I’m going to divide you into teams.”

Marinette raised her hand. “Will the winning team be in the league?” She wasn’t one hundred percent sure how the selection process worked.

“No,” the man shook his head. “You’ll be switching teams after each game. I will be judging everyone on certain criteria. Win or lose, the teams you’re put on now won’t matter.”

“Thank you.”

The boy in the cat mask leaned closer. “I don’t know about you but I’m feline good about this tryout.”

“A cat pun?” Marinette rolled her eyes. “What are you twelve?”

“Me-ouch,” he placed his and over his heart, pulling back with a wicked smile on his lips.

Marinette focused on the man has he divided the group into teams. Luckily, she was put on the opposite team as Cat Boy, who was apparently going by Chat Noir. The teams lined up at the edge of the gym. The old man placed six balls across the middle of the court. The man backed away before blowing his whistle to start the game.

Her team raced forward to grab the balls, but she stayed back. The probability of her grabbing the first ball was low, and her chances of getting out early was high. She had to play to her strengths. Stay back, dodge when necessary, then attack. A boy in a monkey mask shuffled back right next to her with a ball in his hand ready to throw. Chat Noir grinned and threw the ball full force into the boy’s stomach. Knocking the wind right out of him.

Chat Noir winked at her before scooping up a ball that dribbled next to him. Her blood boiled. He was going down.

Marinette grabbed the ball her fallen teammate dropped and moved close to Chat, careful not to get hit by the fast flying balls. He was clearly distracted with removing her peacock themed teammate to notice her. She drew her arm back and with all of her strength hurled the ball forward to graze Chat on the hip. Chat dropped his ball, clearly surprised that she took him out with such a weak throw.

It was on.

Marinette and Chat remained on opposite teams for the next two games. Mainly targeting each other, while still staying focused in the game. When someone else got her out, Chat pouted, but Marinette cheered when her own teammates would knock him down a peg. He always managed to get himself back in the game, to give her another shot at him.

The final game the two of them were the last ones standing. Marinette’s first team won the first game, Chat’s team had won the second. Each side had three balls on in their court. Chat cockily bounced a red ball on his foot.

“So M’lady, it’s just me and you,” he smirked. “I have to say we make the purr-fect pair.”

“I have to disagree,” Marinette said, not taking her eye off the boy. He was getting cocky. She didn’t have the strongest arm, but what she lacked in strength she made up in creativity. She threw her ball straight for Chat. He laughed at the throw, as he knocked the ball over with the one in his hands. He aimed his ball right for her chest. His hits were strong, she and the others usually turned their back when they came their way, but if she wanted to win she had to take one for the team.

The ball slammed against her chest full force. She didn’t have time to process the pain, all she could think about was keeping the ball in her arms. She wrapped the red rubber ball around her, holding it as tight as she could. Her heart slammed in her chest against the sphere. She did it.

Chat stood dumbfounded as Marinette’s team cheered on their victory.


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien Agreste smiled when the a letter from Team Miraculous appeared in his fencing bag a few days later. He knew he nailed the tryouts, he’s dedication to the sport over the years perfected his skills. Dodgeball started out as a hobby, a way for him to let loose and release some of his pent up frustration, but soon it became an obsession. Hopping around gym to gym to find new teams to defeat. He was deadly on the court with his signature move he called the Cataclysm. Honestly, he never considered fully committing himself to a team, but couldn’t help but wonder if Ladybug made the cut as well.

Visions of his lady haunted his dreams. Dark hair pulled back into two loose pigtails, blue bell eyes piercing through the ladybug spotted mask.

Never in his years of playing has anyone caught his Cataclysm. That bravery, and persistence, surely it was enough to make the team. Her dodging skills were top notch in his book, but her throw could use more work. There was time before the regionals for her to improve, surely Fu would take that into consideration. Team Miraculous was the best of the best, and Ladybug deserved a spot.

After fencing he asked his driver to take him to Bourgeois Recreation Center to renew his membership. Practice would take place in the gym at 5 am, hours before the center was open to the public. How Fu had managed that was beyond him, but a full membership to the gym was needed for access to the locker rooms. The early practices every day would limit his availability for morning shoots, however since turning eighteen he had more control over his scheduling and what jobs he wanted to take.

Adrien’s driver pulled up to the Center to dropped him off. He looked up at the sky, dark clouds nearly covered the sun. He grabbed his black umbrella just in case. He walked into the building and headed to the front desk to fill out the paperwork and get a locker.

“Adrikins,” a high pitch squeal came from behind. Adrien tensed, he knew that voice, and nickname anywhere.

“Chloe,” Adrien turned around to greet his childhood friend. The blonde girl pulled him into a tight embrace. “Long time no see.”

“It’s been ages,” Chloe smiled. “You must join me for a smoothie.”

“My ride is waiting for me outside…” Adrien liked Chloe, but she used her status as the mayor’s daughter to get what she wanted, turning her into a spoiled brat. His father, Gabriel, wanted him to have someone to socialize with since he was homeschooled all his life. After they turned fourteen, they grew apart only meeting at social events hosted by their fathers a few times a year.

“Please Adrien, for me,” she batted her eyelashes.

“All right,” Adrien pulled out his phone and texted his driver telling him to pick him up later. “Let me finish up this paperwork and I’ll meet you there.”

Chloe kissed him on a cheek and waltzed off to the cafe. Adrien finished signing the necessary documents and received his new key card, locker assignment and a lock. He met Chloe sitting near a window at the front of the cafe. Next to her was Sabrina, a short red headed girl who followed her around like a lap dog.

“Adrikins!” Chloe waved him over. “Over here.”

Adrien sighed and headed over to the table. Sitting across from Chloe. “Hi Clo, should we go up and order drinks?”

Chloe laughed, “Oh no, we have the help for that.” She lifted her arm and snapped her fingers. Adrien turned around, a dark haired girl headed in their direction with a scowl on her face. She approached the table and placed two smoothies on the table in front of Chloe and Sabrina.

“Your post yoga smoothies,” the girl said, not even looking in Adrien’s direction.

Chloe scoffed, “we have another friend joining us, add it to my father’s tab. Adrien what do you want?”

“This isn’t a restaurant Chloe,” the girl had a bit of spunk in her voice. “If your friend wants a smoothie, he has to go to the counter like everyone else.”

“Excuse me?” Chloe looked offended.

Knowing that it would escalate quickly, Adrien spoke up. “It’s fine Chloe, I’ll only be a few minutes.” He started to stand.

“No,” she snapped. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, do you know how my father is?”

“Chloe, everyone knows who your father is,” the girl rolled her eyes. “Is name is on the building.”

“Exactly, and once he finds out that his only daughter is being treated terribly in his own recreation center he’ll make sure to fire you and find a different bakery to order for the cafe.”

For a brief second, Marinette’s face went from annoyed to furious. The anger in her blue eyes was too familiar, but it shifted to quickly for Adrien to pinpoint it.

“And what can I get for you this afternoon sir,” Marinette said in the most artificial customer service voice he’d ever heard.

“Um…I don’t really know the menu,” Adrien said. An aggravated sigh escaped from Marinette’s breath. “I’ll have a strawberry banana smoothie, I guess.”

“One strawberry banana smoothie coming right up,” she turned sharply on her heels to the counter.

“Was that really necessary?” Adrien asked. He wasn’t surprised, the world was Chloe’s oyster. But that still gave her no right to treat her that way. He’ll make sure to give her a big tip when this was all over.

“That girl has been a pain in my side for ten years. Someone has to reminder her of her place.” She took a sip of her green smoothie, Sabrina mimed her. “Ugh, she used whole milk this time I could tell.” She pushed her smoothie away from her.

“The nerve,” Sabrina did the same.

“Someone needs to teach her a lesson.” Chloe smirked as she glanced over his shoulder. Adrien turned around, Marinette walked back with his smoothie, clearly not happy.

Chloe quickly grabbed Sabrina’s smoothie and tossed the contents of the glass in Marinette’s path. She slipped on the green liquid, Adrien’s smoothie went flying in the air as she tumbled down. The pink drink spilled all over her head.

Chloe and Sabrina started laughing, leading the parties around them to join in. Adrien rushed to Marinette’s side to help her up.

“Get away from me,” she barked, pushing him away. She attempted to get up, but kept losing her grip. A couple of people pulled out their phones to record the spectacle.

“Please,” Adrien extended his hand. Marinette wouldn’t even look him in the eye.

Another girl in a similar uniform came to her aid. “I got you girl,” she said as she helped Marinette up. The red ombre haired girl glared at Adrien as she walked off.

“Somebody has to clean this up,” Chloe called out. “The nerve of some people.”

“That wasn’t nice Chloe,” Adrien said.

“I’m just teaching her a lesson, people like her shouldn’t disrespect people like us,” she crossed her arms over her chest. She was obviously not the girl he grew up with anymore. He didn’t like what she had become, and there was no sign of change coming anytime soon.

Adrien sighed and followed the girls. “Hey wait up,” he called after them, but they picked up their pace. They were heading for the girls locker room. “Stop please.”

Mairnette stopped just before entering the room. “Listen, I know you didn’t do anything, but you’re a friend of Chloe, and I don’t like to associate with those kind of people.”

Before he could get word in, she and the girl slipped into the locker room.


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette attempted to get it together as she washed the remains of the strawberry smoothie out of her hair. The smoothie incident was just another way Chloe for to make her life a living hell. She was thankful Alya was able to clock out for her early, she was at the end of her shift anyway. She was always scheduled to be at Chloe’s beck and call after yoga class because she wanted to play dodgeball afterwards.

She turned off the shower and dried herself off. Luckily she always kept extra clothes for dodgeball in her locker, so she was able to get out of her smoothie stained clothing. She opened her locker, a white envelope fell out. 

A familiar warming sensation flooded over her. It was from Team Miraculous, she knew that for sure. She nervously picked up the letter and opened it.

_Marinette Dupain-Cheng,_

_It is my honor to offer you a spot on Team Miraculous. First practice begins Monday at 5 am at The Bourgeois Recreation Center in Gym 4. Remember your identity must remain a secret from the public and your teammates. Your new name is Ladybug. Be masked and ready to begin. Please set up an email account for your alias for a better form of communication._

_See you Monday._

_Fu_

Marinette read the letter over and over again to make sure she had it right. She was going to play dodgeball with Team Miraculous. She squealed, doing a small dance to celebrate.

“What are you so happy about?” Her best friend Alya returned to the locker room.

Marinette stuffed the letter in her purse. “Nothing.”

“Sure,” Alya crossed her arms over her chest. “So you’re feeling better.”

“A little,” she smiled slightly. Making Team Miraculous did lighten up her mood, but she was still pissed at Chloe.

“That’s good,” Alya sat on the bench, turning her back so Marinette could get changed. “You’ll never guess what I found out.”

“What?” Mairnette pulled her tank top over her head.

“The boy Chloe was hanging out with is Adrien Agreste.”

“Agreste? As in Gabriel Agreste my favorite designer?”

“Yep, Chloe’s boy toy is Monsieur Agreste’s son.”

“Fuck,” Marinette sank down on the bench. Gabriel Agreste was her role model. She applied to intern at his company over the summer, but didn’t make the cut. She was hoping to apply again in the fall, but if Adrien was going to be around, there was no way she could apply now. “He’s a model isn’t he? I knew I’ve seen him before. Ugh, why are all the hot ones jerks.”

“What did Adrien do exactly?” Alya raised an eyebrow.

Marinette paused. “Nothing really,” she sighed. She was so pissed with Chloe, she barely remembered her interaction with him before the incident. “I guess I directed my anger towards Chloe to him, but if he’s a friend of Chloe’s he has to be no good.”

“Okay girl, you know I hate Chloe as much as everyone else, but maybe you should give him the benefit of the doubt. He did try to help you.”

Marinette squeezed her eyes as pinched the bridge of her nose, she was so embarrassed and hurt at that moment she lashed out at him. It was uncalled for. “You’re right, I should apologize, but he’s probably long gone by now.”

“Maybe you’ll see him around,” Alya patted her back. “I should get back to work, my break’s almost over.”

“Thanks,” Marinette said softly as her best friend left the locker room.

Marinette let out a long sigh and gathered her stuff. She wasn’t in the right headspace for dodgeball today. She exited the locker room, glancing around to see if Adrien had stuck around. With no sign of the boy, she headed out the front door.

Thunder roared, and the rain poured from the sky. “Great,” Marinette muttered. She lived only a few blocks from the center and walked here today. She stupidly didn’t check the forecast before she left, it was cloudy, but it hadn’t rained all week. She stood outside the building, watching the rain, contemplating her next move.

“Hey,” a voice said from behind her. Marinette turned around, Adrien stood behind her. “Marinette right?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“I’m Adrien.”

“I know.”

“Listen, I’m sorry for what Chloe did to you, that was uncalled for.”

“It’s not your fault,” Marinette said, trying not to look him in the eyes. She was too embarrassed for the way she treated him. “I should be the one apologizing, I shouldn’t have snapped like that.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “Honestly, Chloe should be the one apologizing to you. I didn’t plan to hang out with her today, we’re old friends and she wanted to catch up, that’s all. I’ve been homeschooled all my life, I don’t have many friends.”

Marinette looked up into the boys emerald green eyes, there was a lot of sadness behind them. But he kept a light smile on his face to mask the pain.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” he said. “Are you waiting on a ride?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I live a couple blocks away. I didn’t prepare for the rain.”

“My umbrella’s big enough for two,” he opened the large black umbrella. “I’ll walk with you.”

Heat spread across Marinette’s cheeks. His offer was genuine and kind, she totally misjudged him earlier. She covered her face to hide her red cheeks. “You don’t have to.”

“I insist,” he smiled. “You could hold the umbrella if you’d like.” He held out the umbrella, waiting for her to accept his offer.

Marinette hesitated before reaching for the handle, her fingers lightly brushed his. She drew back a bit, his touch sent tingles through her hand. She took hold of the umbrella. Adrien stepped closer to her.

They walked together silently. Adrien occasionally peaked back behind them every once in awhile for some reason. Marinette didn’t mind, she kept her eyes ahead, trying not to think about how her heart pounded in her chest as he brushed against her.

They finally stopped at her family’s bakery. “This is me,” she said, handing him back the umbrella. “Thank you…for walking me home.”

“Anytime,” he smiled, there was a light back in his eyes she didn’t see before. He turned to leave.

“Wait,” Marinette called out. Adrien stopped. “Um…I work at the rec center cafe until six pm every weekday this summer. If you want to swing by and say hello, I wouldn’t mind.”

“I’d like that,” he said. “I’ll see you around Marinette.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't think I'd end the last chapter like that without some sort of umbrella scene?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien meets Team Miraculous.

Monday morning rolled around and Adrien was more than excited to start practice with Team Miraculous. He slipped on his black shorts and tank top. He bought a pair of clip on cat ears, which he slipped in his workout bags along with his black mask.

Most of the house staff was already up, and no doubt his father would be in his office working on his latest designs or something. He grabbed a banana and some peanut butter for breakfast in the kitchen, before heading out the door. His driver dropped him off a block from the rec center. It would be too obvious if his limo pulled into the rec center this early in the morning.

Adrien looked both ways and put on his cat ears and mask the closer he got the the center. It was easy to slip into the role of Chat Noir. As the son of Gabriel Agreste, there were certain expectations he was supposed to uphold in public. Playing dodgeball was freeing, he never gave his full name most of the time, but every once in awhile someone would recognize him from an ad and he’d have to relocate due to the horde of girls (and some guys) that followed. Being Chat Noir gave him a reason to commit to a team without dealing with the fangirls. And if a curtain blue eyed beauty was on the team, it would sweeten the deal.

He was one of the first to arrive at the gym, a rack of several red rubber balls was already lined up at center court. Adrien grabbed a ball, dropping his bag to the side. He took a few steps back, giving himself a good amount of distance between him and the back wall.

“Cataclysm,” he shouted as stepped back with his right foot, pulled his right arm back and threw the ball forward as hard as he could. The ball made a hardy thud against the mats on the back wall. Adrien smirked, pleased with the power of his throw.

“Nice,” a voice from behind said.

Adrien turned around, Ladybug leaned against the wall behind him. She wore a tight red tank top and tiny black shorts that left almost nothing to the imagination. Once again her dark hair was in twin pigtails held together by red ribbons. From across the room, he felt those blue eyes piercing through him.

“Good morning M’lady,” Adrien bowed. 

“Good Morning Cat Boy,” Ladybug strolled towards him. “Was I mistaken, or did you just yell ‘Cataclysm’ before you threw that ball?”

“Well I usually say it in my head. I didn’t know I’d have an audience. It is my signature move.” Ladybug stood an arm’s length away, Adrien stepped forward to fill the space between them. Ladybug, stepped back a bit, Adrien got the hint and backed up as well keeping them at their original distance.

“Is that the move you used on me during the last game?” she cocked an eyebrow.

Adrien nodded. “It’s uncatchable. Well almost…”

“Well Cat Boy, they’re a first time for everything” Ladybug said.

“It’s Chat Noir, by the way,” he winked. “I can teach you that move if you’d like. We could have a few lessons, one on one.” He leaned in closer, Ladybug placed two fingers on his forehead to push him away.

“Not today Cat Boy,” she teased.

“But that’s not a no?” Adrien wiggled his eyebrows and grinned.

“Keep that up and it might be,” she said. “Do you flirt with all the girls you play dodgeball with?”

“Only with you M’ladybug.” A door closed from behind them, someone was watching. He removed her hand from his forehead, desperately wanting to kiss it. His lady was sassy and bold, he liked it. No one would dare talk to Adrien Agreste that way. Well, almost, thinking back to his first encounter with the girl from the cafe, Marinette. Though the situation was different.

“Right,” Ladybug rolled her eyes.

The rest of the team rolled in. He recognized them all from the tryouts. There was Jade Turtle, a shortish boy wearing a green turtle mask. Queen Bee, a blond girl in yellow and black stripes. Paon, a man in a peacock mask, (with no feathers, thankfully) and Volpino, a taller man who wore the fox mask. From what he remembered during the tryouts, this would be a great team.

Fu entered last, wearing the same red Hawaiian shirt as the tryouts, walking slowly to the group sitting in the bleachers. “Welcome,” he said. “Thank you all again for coming. You are the best of the best dodgeball players in Paris, however that does not mean things will be any easier for you. Regionals are in one month, we will train every weekday morning until you all learn to play as one. But first, ten laps around the gym, go!”

Everyone leaped off of their seat and started jogging. Ladybug was ahead of the crowd, Adrien picked up his pace to jog next to her. “So Ladybug,” he said between breaths, “how did you get into dodgeball?”

“Is this really the time?” She kept her breathing steady as she ran. She was more in shape than Adrien was, he had to step it up.

“When will we have the time M’lady?” he asked. He wanted to know something, anything, about her. Since they would be spending every weekday together, they’d have time to get to know each other at some point. However there would be little free time for personal talk. It wasn’t like they could go out for coffee in the masks, and sharing identities with the other teammates was strictly forbidden for some reason. 

“Not now,” Ladybug picked up her speed. Adrien smirked, he liked a challenge.

On lap three, he finally surpassed her, staying ahead of the group. Lap five, she whizzed passed him again keeping a good lead until lap seven when Adrien jogged backwards and winked as he passed her again. They were neck and neck during lap nine, practically sprinting to the finish line. They lapped Queen Bee and Jade Turtle in their race.

In the end though, they finished together. Adrien’s heart was pumping so fast he could hear it. He looked over at Ladybug who was wiping sweat from her brow. Her cheeks were flushed bright pink. She grabbed her water bottle from the bleachers and took a long swing. God she was beautiful, Adrien couldn’t help but stare. She caught him as she lowered her water bottle. “What?”

“Has anyone told you, you’re purrrfect?” He smiled laying on the charm.

“You’re ridiculous,” she rolled her eyes.

After Queen Bee and Jade Turtle finished their tenth lap, the team moved on the the next drill: Dodging.

The drill was simple enough. One person stood on one side of the court while two people threw balls at them from the other side. Adrien got in several good hits on his end, during the first few rounds. He didn’t bother easing back, if they were going to be champions, he had to give them everything he got. When it was his turn, his teammates didn’t hold back either, however they seemed a little too happy when he was hit. Even Ladybug high fived Jade Turtle as she managed to hit him in the side.

When it was Ladybug’s turn, she did not disappoint. Adrien watched as she anticipated each of her teammates movements, dodging the balls in an enchanting dance. When it was his turn to throw, he couldn’t muster up the power to throw full force. Not a single ball hit her that round. She was amazing.

The rest of practice went by in a blur, most of their time was dedicated to assessing their skills and finding weaknesses. Fu told Adrien while impulsiveness and willing to go the extra distance was great, he lacked focus and that would put him out of the game too early. Ladybug’s weakness obviously was her throw, Fu concluded she needed to let loose more and not to be afraid of her own strength.

With that the team was dismissed, everyone exhausted from the practice. It was 8 am, the rec center didn’t open until for another hour. Maybe he could get some time with his lady.

“Chat Noir,” Fu called him over. “I need your new email address.”

Adrien sighed, and walked over to Fu to give him the information. By the time he turned around Ladybug was out the door into the girl’s locker room. He waited outside the door for at least fifteen minutes before giving up. There were more than one exits to the locker rooms.

With a sigh, Adrien left the rec center, shedding the mask and his Chat Noir persona as he strolled down street to his driver.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically Adrienette fluff.

Beep Beep Beep

Marinette groaned as she turned off the alarm on her phone. Time for work. She rolled off the bench and straighten out her uniform. Taking a nap in the locker rooms before her shift, might not have been the best idea. But she was so exhausted from the first practice, she gotten up early to drop off a delivery from the bakery. Her competition with Chat Noir didn’t help her at all. She pushed herself harder than she needed to and it was only the first day. Expectations were high with Team Miraculous, she had to bring her A game every day and try not to let it affect her personal life.

With a yawn, Marinette headed to the cafe for her shift. It was Monday, and Monday meant she’d see Chloe for the first time since the smoothie incident last Friday. Maybe she would ask Alya to make and deliver her post yoga smoothie, but it was off menu and would take too much time to train to get it right. Beside, Chloe took pride in making her miserable. She just had to grin and bare it.

The day whizzed by, faces blended together. She went through the motions, trying to keep a smile on her face to hide the exhaustion from the customers. It slowed down the last few hours of her shift. She placed her elbow on the counter, and rested her head on her hand. She needed just a moment to rest her eyes.

“Excuse me,” a customer coughed to get her attention. Mairnette’s head popped up immediately only to realize she was face to face with Adrien. “Sorry to wake you.”

“Adrien,” her voice squeaked, “H-Hi.” Why was she such a stuttering mess? It’s been days since their walk in the rain. Sure, she had a daydream or two about him, but she was an adult (mostly), talking to men should be easier. “What can I get you?”

Adrien studied the menu above her. Marinette could help but study his strong jaw line, her eyes moved their way up to his lips. They looked so soft, and kissable. Adrien lowered his head, Marinette averted her eyes in another direction. “I’m not sure, what do you recommend?”

“Well, um… maybe strawberry banana since you didn’t get to drink your smoothie the other day,” Marinette attempted to make a joke to lighten the mood, but it clearly didn’t land. Adrien furrowed his brow. “It was a joke. But our smoothies are pretty good.”

After another awkward thirty seconds, he finally spoke up. “I can’t decide. What’s your favorite?”

“Razzle Dazzle,” Marinette said immediately. “It’s mainly raspberry and blueberry with a few other flavors blended together. It’s one of our most popular drinks.”

“Sounds great, I’ll have a medium Razzle Dazzle and a croissant, please.”

“Okay,” Marinette’s hands shook a little as she typed in his order on the register. She felt Adrien’s eyes on her, which made her jumpier than normal. “Your total is five euros.” She took Adrien’s cash, their fingers brushing together, she pulled back quickly to finish the procedure. She wanted to say something, anything to break the awkward tension, but she couldn’t form the words. So she did the only thing she could do, turn around and make his smoothie.

She blending together the ice, fruits and special juices for the drink, building up the courage to say something cool or anything for that matter. She poured the drink into a cup and turned around to give it to him. “One medium Razzle Dazzle.” she placed the smoothie on the counter.

“Thank you, Marinette,” he smiled. “And the croissant?”

“Right, the croissant.” She grabbed a bag to put the croissant in. “You know, these are from my family’s bakery.” She handed him the bag.

He took out the croissant and took a big bite. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. “This is amazing.” He devoured the treat in three bites. “Your parents made these?”

“My Papa, yes,” Marinette gave a timid smile. “If you stop by sometime, and let them know you’re a friend of mine, I’m sure you’ll get a discount.”

“Definitely.” he sipped his smoothie. “Thanks Marinette.” He stood as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t. There was no one in line, the cafe was practically empty at this hour. He didn’t seem like he was in a rush to go home. Why was he still here?

“So…” Marinette started, attempting to make small talk, “what classes do you take here? Or do you work out… I mean, of course you work out look at you…I mean…” she couldn’t help but glance at his arms. He wore a loose fitting short sleeved back t-shirt, his muscular biceps peaked from under the sleeves. Marinette felt her face grow hot from embarrassment. “I’ll stop talking now.” She sank lower behind the counter.

Adrien laughed, a genuine wholehearted laugh. “No no, it’s fine.” Marinette stood back up. “I’m actually pretty new to the center, well I had a membership from a while back, but I haven’t been here in awhile. I’m just easing back into things. Do you take classes?”

“Sometimes, I play dodgeball with some friends after work, I like the open swim at the pool every once in awhile though.”

“You play dodgeball?” Adrien’s eyes seemed to sparkle.

“Yeah,” she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m not the best, but it’s still fun.” Making Team Miraculous meant she had some skill, but she didn’t want to brag. Part of keeping her identity a secret was to downplay her abilities. Even if they won’t go public for another month, she had to start now.

“It is,” he nodded. 

“You’ve played before?”

“Here and there,” he shrugged, taking another sip of his smoothie.

Marinette glanced at the clock. It was almost a quarter till six, Chloe would be here any minute for her post yoga smoothie. “Yoga is about to let out, I need to get back to work.”

Adrien looked around. “No one’s here yet.”

“It’s Chloe’s yoga class,” Marinette scowled. “She requests two kale super smoothies to be delivered to her personally after class. I have to start making it now.”

“Can’t someone else do it?”

“Nope,” she frowned. “She requested me. And since her daddy basically owns the center and all of Paris, I have to do what she says or I’ll get fired. Or worse, the cafe would have to find another baked goods supplier. And my parents are using the extra cash to send me to design school in the fall.”

“I’m sorry, I had no idea.” he lowered his head. Seconds passed, like unsure of what to say next. “I should get going before she sees me. It was great talking with you, really. And I’ll definitely check out your bakery soon.” He stuffed some bills from his pocket into the tip jar before she could object he turned to leave. “I’ll see you around.”

“What was that all about,” Alya appeared behind her as she started on Chloe and Sabrina’s smoothies. She forgot she had company, since it was a slow period, Alya probably sat by with popcorn watching the interaction between the two.

“Nothing,” Marinette’s cheeks were the deepest shade of scarlet.

“Right,” Alya rolled her eyes. “Friday, you could barely stand the guy, now you’re stuttering and making googly eyes at him.”

“You’re right, I misjudged him,” she smiled slightly. “He’s kind, genuine and not like Chloe at all.”

“Oh girl, you’ve got it bad,” Alya smirked.

Marinette giggled slightly, knowing full and well she was the danger of falling…hard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a plot to this, I swear. I just love these two dorks so much, they need more interaction. BTW Marichat is coming soon, Ladrien will come in later chapters.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien stops by the bakery for snacks before hanging out with Nino.

Adrien’s first two weeks with Team Miraculous had been more than exhausting. His shooting schedule was mainly shifted to nights and weekends. He’d finished his shoots around three in the morning, take a quick nap and be at the gym to practice at five. It was almost too much to bare, but seeing his Lady’s smile in the morning made it all worthwhile. With his new irregular sleep schedule, Adrien missed several dodgeball games with his friends due to oversleeping.

He had a free Saturday for a change and decided to invite his new friend Nino over for video games and pizza . His father was out of town on business and Nathalie was with him. He basically had the house to himself.

Nino was due in a few hours, the halls were empty and silent. Adrien hated this feeling, being alone. As packed as his schedule was, having time to himself wasn’t as nice as it could be. There was the staff, but they barely said two words to him outside of doing their jobs.

Adrien called his driver to take him for a ride to pass the time. They drove around the city for a bit. Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw a familiar building. The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.

“Can you pull over?” Adrien asked. His driver obliged. Adrien got out of the car and walked to the bakery. It was a quaint little shop, the air smelled of vanilla and sugar.

“A-Adrien,” a familiar voice stuttered. Adrien glanced over at Marinette behind the register as she finished up with her last customer. It’s been awhile since he’s seen Marinette. He hadn’t had the energy to make unnecessary visits to the rec center in the afternoon. This week was more demanding with three night shoots in a row. In truth the few times he did come was to solely see her. He made an effort to become her friend after the smoothie incident. He managed to barely escape Chloe’s grasp on his way out after visits. He wanted to keep their interactions to a minimum.

“Marinette,” he smiled. “I was just passing by and I thought I’d grab some sweets.”

“Oh, of course,” she grabbed a box. “What would you like?”

Adrien surveyed the decadent confections before him before picking several chocolate croissants and cookies. Marinette smiled as she handed him the box. Adrien reached for his wallet to pay.

“No, it’s on the house,” Marinette said.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I can afford it.”

“No, please–family and friends discount,” she said. “If Mama and Papa were at the register, you would stay for dinner and be walking away with a lot more.”

“Really?” Adrien father never dined with any of his friends or him for that matter. It must be nice to have a family meal.

“Yeah, my parents love my friends, and I’m sure they’ll love you.” She paused, looking behind his shoulder. The bell rang as someone entered the shop. “I’m sorry more customers, I have to get back to work.”

“Thank you so much,” Adrien turned to leave but stopped. It was a shame that the only time he had to talk with her was when she working. They haven’t really gotten to know each other much at all. She seemed so shy around him, by the time she warmed up she had to get back to work. He wanted to be her friend. “Maybe one day when we’re not too busy we could meet up or something. So we won’t be interrupted by customers.”

Marinette’s face turned bright red, she took longer than expected only to respond with a quick nod. “Y-yes.”

“Great, I’ll catch up with you soon. Take care.” He left the bakery with a smile on his face.

His driver dropped him back off at his mansion as he waited for his friend. Nino was the first person from his dodgeball life he’d let in on his family name. He found out by accident. Lucky for him, he didn’t announce it to the whole team. He just pulled him aside one day and showed him an ad for cologne from a magazine. Adrien fessed up and Nino promised not to tell. Eventually, Adrien felt comfortable enough to invite him over.

“Dude,” Nino looked around his room in awe, “You have a rock climbing wall and a basketball hoop?”

Adrien looked around, this was the first time he actually had a friend in his room. From an outsider’s point of view it was obsessive. But what his father lacked in affection he made up with lavish gifts. He could have turned out spoiled like Chloe, taking everything for granted, but he didn’t. What he craved was more than material.

A real family.

He and Nino set up shop at his computer to play Ultimate Mecha Strike III. “Oh I almost forgot,” Adrien grabbed the box of sweets he got from Marinette’s bakery. “Dig in.”

“Dude,” Nino examined the label. “You got these from the Dupain-Chengs? Awesome.”

“You know Marinette?”

“Yeah, we play dodgeball sometimes when the kids from the Bourgeois Rec Center like to challenge Central Community. She invited both teams to her bakery after the matches for dessert. How do you know Marinette?” Nino smirked.

“We met at the rec center, she works at the cafe,” Adrien said. Nino wiggled his eyebrows knowingly. “What? She’s just a friend.”

“Sure she is,” he took a bite out of his cookie. “You know, girl’s got some mad skills on the court. She could teach you a lesson or two about teamwork…”

“Hey,” Adrien protested.

“Dude, you’re like a one man band on the court. You’d get me out if I wasn’t already on your team.”

Fu had been getting on Chat’s case lately about looking out for the team and communicating. But when he plays, he’s in the zone, he can’t focus on anything else except winning. Well, almost. His mind would drift to Ladybug every once and awhile, watching her play was enchanting. His teammates noticed the second he laid eyes on her, he was the most vulnerable and used that to their advantage during scrimmages.

“I play to win,” he handed Nino the controller. “You ready?”

“Oh it’s on pretty boy.”

Nino proceeded to kick Adrien’s butt in five round of Ultimate Mecha Strike III. Weird, he was so used to playing the computer on expert, he thought he was the best. Clearly he had a thing or two to learn from his friend.

“Seriously?” Adrien sighed.

“Sorry dude, I play to win.” They laughed.

A knock interrupted him. Adrien went to the door, his father stood with a stern look on his face. “Father, I thought you were out of the city on business.”

“I finished early. I was going to invite you to dinner, but I see you’ve already made plans.” Adrien stiffened as he heard Nino come up behind him.

“Monsieur Agreste, how do you do?” Nino held out his hand. Gabriel looked down at it as if it was covered in mud. Nino slowly pulled his hand away.

“This is my friend Nino, dad.”

“What have I told you about having company when I’m not home?”

“We haven’t discussed it. I don’t have friends over”

Gabriel frowned. “Well, from now on, inform Nathalie of any guest in advance. It’s getting late, some of the photographer mentioned they’ve had to photoshop bags from under your eyes. You need a proper amount of sleep if you want to continue your early morning workouts.” Gabriel glared at Nino one last time. “Tell your friend goodbye.” He turned sharply to leave.

“Harsh man,” Nino said once Gabriel was out of earshot.

“It was fun while it lasted,” Adrien sighed. “Thanks for coming over man.”

“Anytime,” Nino patted Adrien on the back. “And don’t be a stranger. The Central Community gang misses their star player.”

“Thanks bud, I’ll try to make it out when I can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I rewrote the first chapter in Adrien's POV as a One-Shot. It's called The Bigger They Are, be sure to check it out. :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marichat happens and Chat Noir has a proposal for Ladybug.

Marinette made deliveries to the rec center for her parents at 4:30 am on Monday morning since Team Miraculous started practicing. As she loaded in the last of the chocolate croissants a pair of green eyes behind a black mask peered at her through the glass. Marinette jump slightly, hitting her head on the counter.

“Shit,” she muttered, rubbing the sore spot on her head. “What the hell?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Chat Noir stood before her. His blond hair was a tousled a bit falling slightly above his eyes. He had a suggestive smirk on his face.

“Who are you supposed to be?” Marinette crossed her arms over her chest. Regionals were next Saturday, there were whispers about a new Team Miraculous competing among her group of friends. She kept her mouth shut, they were just rumors at this point, possibly spread by the players who didn’t make the team. All would be revealed soon, so the best she could do was feign ignorance.

“No one at the moment,” Chat sat on top of the counter and flexed. “but soon I’ll be a celebrity. You’ll see.”

“Right,” she rolled her eyes. The dodgeball community was small, even if they by chance won Nationals, they wouldn’t be famous. Team Miraculous had gone to Chat’s head, as if his ego wasn’t big enough. “Well Monsieur Célébrité, could you get off my counter?” Marinette tried to push him off, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Anything for you princess.” He said as he slid off.

Chat Noir was such a flirt, Marinette couldn’t help but smile a bit. Over the past few weeks, he spent most of his time trying to woo Ladybug during practice. Seeing him flirt with her civilian self reassured her belief that he was just a silly flirt.

“Thanks,” she said. “What are you doing here so early anyway? The center doesn’t open to the public until until eight.”

“Like I said, I’m a celebrity,” he leaned in closer. “Don’t believe me? Next Saturday, 10 am, come to gym 1 and all will be revealed.” He invited her to regionals, the sly bastard. How many other girls did he invite? Maybe he was the leak. “Trust me, it will claw-some.”

“I don’t know,” Marinette said coyly. “My mother warned me about accepting invitations from strange men dressed as cats…”

“What? They’ll steal your heart?”

“Something like that.” This time, she was the one to wink. She would never be this bold with Adrien. Chat’s face turned bright red, it was kind of amusing. As Marinette she was safe, for the most part to have a little fun with him. If she were Ladybug at the moment Chat would keel over dead on the spot. It was best to keep him at an arm’s length apart during practice, she liked the banter they shared and the friendly competition, but nothing more should come from that. It was all about the game, they couldn’t get to know each other on a personal level. Besides she had Adrien, and it wouldn’t be right to betray him, just when things were finally moving forward (so to speak).

“Princess, you are something else,” he smiled. “I never got your name.”

“I never gave it to you.” Marinette rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“I can spare a few minutes,” he leaned forward on the counter, “for a purr-incess.”

Boy did he know how to lay it on thick. As much as she wanted to continue this charade, she had to change for practice. “You might be able to, but I can’t kitty.”

“All right,” he backed away slowly. “But what about next Saturday, can you make it?”

“We’ll see kitty, bye now,” she waved him off. Once he was out of sight, Marinette scrambled to the locker room to change, careful not to run into him again. She changed out of her normal clothes and slipped on a pair of red shorts and a white tank top. She took her hair down from the messy bun she put in this morning and tied them off into her signature pigtails. Once fully ready, she put on her mask before entering the gym.

Chat Noir’s eyes locked with hers, from across the court. Shit, did her conversation with Chat give herself away. No, Chat would have recognized her as Ladybug earlier if she did. Marinette took calming breath and made her way to the group, channeling the confidence of Ladybug.

“M’lady,” Chat took her hand and kissed it. “You are looking as ravishing as ever.”

“Calm down Cat Boy,” she pulled her hand away slowly. “I just ran into a girl outside saying a boy in a cat mask was flirting with her. Do you know anything about it?”

“Jealous M’lady?” His lips formed an enormous grin. Oh the ego on this boy.

“In your dreams Cat Boy,” she laughed.

“Oh, don’t worry. you’re in there every night.”

Fu blew his whistle before she had a chance to respond. “Pair up,” he shouted. Chat stepped closer to Marinette and smiled. She sighed and nodded.

The drill was to practice the aim. Fu had the pairs stand on opposite sides of the court and throw the ball back and forth. Pairing with Chat was probably not the best idea. He had the strongest arm in the team while she had the weakest. His throws were accurate and sharp, putting Marinette to shame. He could single handedly carry the team to victory, if he wanted to.

After the drill, Chat pulled Marinette aside. “M’lady, a word?”

“What?”

“Regionals are in less than two weeks, we need to work on your throw. These drills are great, but you need more personal attention. You’re fast on the court, so when it come down to it, you might be the last one standing. No hard feelings, but I want this team to advance.”

For once, Chat was actually being serious. He did care about the team. “Fine,” she said. “When do you want to meet?”

Chat grinned. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the positive response. :D
> 
> Don't worry, more Marichat will happen later on. Still trying to find a way to sneak in Ladrien. ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wild Ladrien moment appears. And then Chat gives Ladybug a private lesson to help with her throw.  
>  _In Titus Andromedon's voice _: ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬LADYYYYYYYYYYNOIR ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬__

Adrien was pumped for his late night rendezvous with Ladybug. He squared away the smaller gym at the rec center with several red rubber balls at their disposal. He had to call in a favor with Chloe to get the privacy they needed, but it was well worth it. Adrien went over his set up several times before he finally headed into the locker room to change into his gym clothes and Chat Noir mask.

His stomach grumbled. With all the excitement about this time with Ladybug, he forgot to eat dinner. He left the locker room in his street clothes to grab a quick bite from the vending machine before he changed.

His pigtailed companion walked towards him. Their eyes locked, Adrien felt as if time stood still.

She showed up he thought.

Tonight, she wore white v-neck t-shirt, the end of the V stopped right above her breast, giving slightest bit of cleavage. Her red short were form fitted against her body. Again her facial features were concealed by her Ladybug mask, but he knew it didn’t matter who she was under the mask

It didn’t take long for him to realize they were standing awkwardly in the hallway. As if in sync, the two walked passed each other, without a word. Adrien couldn’t help himself, he peaked back to get a look at her backside. Ladybug’s head snapped back to the front.

Did she recognize him? Did he blow his cover already.

No. Ladybug never looked at him like that. She always appeared annoyed or frustrated. No, this was different, maybe she recognized him from an ad or something. Adrien pushed the thought to the back of his mind, it didn’t matter he would see his Lady again soon enough.

He grabbed his snack and ate it on the way back to the locker room to change into Chat Noir. Ladybug was waiting for him the the gym, tossing one of the rubber balls back and forth in her hands. She didn’t turn around when he came in. He quietly shut the door behind him, before he approached her.

“M’lady,” Adrien bowed. Ladybug turned around sharply, dropping the ball to the floor. “Did I startle you?”

“Oh, no,” she shook her heads. “I’m just a little…”

“Starstruck by my astonishing good looks?” He winked.

“Oh Cat Boy, not all my thought are of you,” she teased.

“You wound me M’lady,” Adrien placed his hand over his heart and smiled.

“All right Cat Boy,” she smirked, “show this Cataclysm move you swear is uncatchable.”

“Almost uncatchable.” He said reminding Ladybug of their first day together. “But you aren’t ready for that. No we’re going to work on the basics: aim, distance and power. And maybe if you paw-gress I could show you my moves.” Adrien moonwalked backwards and did a little spin.

“You’re a dork,” she laughed. 

“Show me what you go, Bugaboo,

“Oh no, not a new nickname,” she rolled her eyes.

“Hey, my nicknames for you are claw-some and you only have the two right now.”

“Two, right…” she muttered.

“But I have a few I can test out before sectionals. What do you say M’lady?” He backed up to the centerline of the court. “Show me what you got.”

“All right,” she picked up the ball at her feet. She lifted the ball back behind her head and threw. The ball lobbed over Adrien’s right shoulder.

“Were you even trying?” He asked.

Ladybug huffed, picking up another ball and hurling it in Adrien’s direction. This time it flew near his knees. If he wasn’t paying attention, it would’ve hit him as it grazed passed, but Adrien caught it.

“Again,” he threw the ball back slightly so she could catch it. Once again, her throw was lackluster, hitting Adrien on the shoulder. Anyone could have dodged it. Ladybug had luck on her side, during the game. She was skilled, but her weakness could mean the end of the team.

“What am I doing wrong?” She cradled her face in her palm. “Why did Fu pick me, if I could barely stand on my own.” 

“Ladybug,” Adrien jogged towards her and placed his arms on her shoulders. “Listen to me, you are an excellent player. But above all you are a natural leader, you rally the team together better than anyone else. Sure we have our moments, but in the end, I will follow you.”

Ladybug opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Adrien continued.

“You’re a quick thinker, and fast. You last longer than most of us out there and we count on you to bring us back into the game. Once you get better, you will be unstoppable on the court. We all believe in you, you need to believe in yourself okay?”

“Okay,” she nodded slowly.

Adrien stared at her pink lips, they were so close he could kiss her, but he couldn’t take advantage. He pulled away before he did anything stupid. “Let’s try it again.”

“Wait,” Ladybug touched his shoulder, to stop him. “I’m not going to get any better by doing the same thing over and over. If you’re going to teach me how to throw, then teach me.”

“Fine,” Adrien picked up a ball. “See that center mat?” He pointed to the blue mats lined along the wall at the end of the gym. “I’m going to hit that one right in the center.” Ladybug stepped back to give him some space. “First thing’s first. Form. In the heat of the game, it’s the last thing you’ll think about, but a proper form makes a huge distance. Don’t keep the ball higher than your head. If you aim any higher than the waist, then you might hit someone in the head, and that will get you out of the game.”

“And someone will get hurt…”

“Yeah, that too,” he said. “Next, you have to follow through with your whole body, when you do you will have a more powerful throw like so.” Adrien pulled back before throwing the ball directly in the center of the mats with a loud thud. “See how every part of me was put in the throw. From my wrists to my hips. You just throw with your arm, that’s why the balls always fall short of the target. The more of your wrist you use the more accurate the throw and using your hip will add more power.” He handed her a ball. “You want to try?”

Ladybug nodded, taking the ball from his hands. Adrien watched as she tried to imitate his form. She threw the ball towards the mat, but fell short by a couple feet. “Ugh.”

“It’s okay, you’re not going to get it right on the first try. Keep your shoulder’s relaxed, follow through” Ladybug’s next several throws were better, but they didn’t quite hit the center of the mat. Adrien noticed they were down to their last ball. He picked them up and placed them on the rack. “Here,” he gave her the next ball. “Do you mind?” He stepped forward, invading her personal space, his hand hovered above her shoulder. Ladybug gave a quick nod, giving him the invitation to touch her. He moved closer until her backside was nearly pressed against him. Her vanilla scent invaded his nose, but he pushed his unprofessional thoughts back down. “You okay?”

“Uh huh,” she said softly as his hand trailed up her arm.

“Now,” he guided her arm back for a better placement. “Relax your shoulders a bit.” He felt her muscles eased a bit against him. “There you go.” He released her arms and moved his hands to her hips. Again he waited for her approval before touching her again. “Remember, follow through.” He lightly guided her to practice the motions without releasing the ball.

Adrien wanted to stay like this forever, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment. He released her hips and slid back. “Go for it.”

Adrien watched as Ladybug put their technique to action. She used her whole body to deliver a powerful throw, the ball slammed against the center of the mat.

“Oh my God,” she squealed. “I did it.” Ladybug ran over to Adrien, jumping into his arms for a hug. He pulled her in close, spinning her around a bit, enjoying the warmth of her body against him. He brought her down slowly, their foreheads touched. They didn’t move from the spot. She looked up at Adrien with her big blue bell eyes, her cheeks flushed with color.

Ladybug broke away. “Sorry, um, I should probably keep practicing the throw. It’s one thing to hit a mat, but I’ll need a moving target to practice with.”

Whatever transpired between them was gone, and an air of awkwardness was left in it’s place. Adrien put on a fake grin and nodded. “Baby steps, M’lady. Let’s see if you could do it at least twelve more times.”

“Then you’ll be my moving target Cat Boy?” 

“As you wish.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regionals pt. 1. 
> 
> This chapter is longer than the others, but I hope you enjoy it. :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: I made a few slight adjustments to fix the flow of some sentences per feedback I received.

Marinette spent the next week in a state of utter confusion and frustration. While she was grateful for her time working on her throw with Chat Noir, things became awkward between the two during practices. Sure, he flirted with her relentlessly, but she never took it seriously. Now, flirting back and coming up with witty remarks made Marinette feel like she was leading him on.

She liked Chat, she really did. He was kind, fun, and flirty. Slowly, he became more of a team player and the game became less about him and more about the team. Not to mention how hot he was. Marinette wasn’t blind. He always wore black or dark grey tank tops that showed off his impressive arms. One practice she caught herself staring at them during a drill.

Whatever she felt about Chat, she had to push to the back of her mind. Adrien was the one she wanted. Sweet, caring Adrien with his soulful emerald eyes and kind smile. Their interactions were always brief, but memorable. He stopped by the cafe or bakery every once in awhile to say hi or chat for a bit. They exchanged numbers, but their schedules conflicted too much to make plans outside his brief visits. He caught her during her lunch break once and they managed to talk for almost ten minutes uninterrupted. 

Adrien was everything she wanted in a man, but he never made his move. Marinette didn’t have the balls to ask him out on her own. She was happy with their brief encounters at work, it saved herself from embarrassment. But she wanted more. With Chat, she feel wanted, but they could never really be together. They didn’t even know each other’s names. She had to put the team first, and starting something with Chat Noir would cause a boat load of problems.

Regionals approached fast, and before she knew it the day arrived. The team planned to meet masked at the Bourgeois Rec center at 8 am for registration. Marinette spotted Chat first, but before she could say a word her mouth went dry. He was pulling off his dark tank top, showing off his impressive abs. She saw glimpses during practice, but never the full thing.

Oh boy. 

Marinette snapped out of it when she saw Fu hand Chat a white shirt. Right, uniforms. They were getting them today. She took a deep breath and headed towards the two.

“Morning, M’lady,” Chat pulled the new shirt over his head. The front read “Team Miraculous” in red and black letters. It hugged his chest tightly, she could see the outline of his pecks through the material. “My eyes are up here.” He grinned.

Marinette’s head snapped up. “I–I wasn’t…”

“It’s all right M’lady, no one could resist this body.” he winked at her. Marinette’s cheeks grew hot, she turned to Fu before Chat could see.

“You have shirts for us,” Marinette said.

“Yes,” Fu nodded. “They came in yesterday afternoon. If you’d like to, change in the locker room, but please to be on your guard. People in the dodgeball community are eager to unmask the new Team Miraculous. Our name put a large target on our backs, be careful.”

Marinette nodded and headed to the locker room, not looking back at Chat and Fu. She had to stay focused, think about the game and nothing else.

After she finished changing and headed back to meet the rest of the team. She spotted Alya from across the hall, filming the teams. She had no idea her best friend would be here since she never showed interest in dodgeball before. Alya was an aspiring journalist and a good one for that matter. She was too clever to be fooled and would see through Marinette’s mask in seconds. Marinette kept her distance, watching as Alya zoned in on Team Miraculous, specifically Chat Noir. He flexed for the camera and gave her the same Chesire grin he gave Ladybug during every practice. Alya rolled her eyes and moved on to the next team to interview.

When the coast was clear, Marinette made her way back to the team. “What was that about?” Marinette asked Chat.

“Just an reporter wanting an inside scoop on Team Miraculous and their star player.”

“Since you weren’t here, she left,” Volpino joked. Chat lightly hit him in the shoulder. “Just saying man.”

“Enough fooling around,” Fu said. “You are a team and this morning the whole city is going to know how miraculous you are.”

Once the rest of the team arrived, they all moved to the gym to watch the first match. From what she understood, there were only four teams competing that morning. Team Miraculous’ first match was against Team Stoneheart, lead by Ivan Bruel. Ivan played at the Bourgeois center with Marinette from time to time. He disappeared from the group a month ago, no one from her group had heard from him. But there he was, sitting across the gym, staring at the team with anger in his eyes.

“What’s his problem?” Chat leaned over to Marinette. She shook her head.

The first match started, Team Climatika vs. Team Dislocœur. A girl with long blonde hair tied in two pigtails walked up to the referee and stood across a tall buff boy. She remembered the boy, Kim, who she met during one of the games against Central Community.

The referee talked to them for a bit before the two shook hands. “We don’t have a team captain,” she said, glancing over at Fu. “Do we need captain?”

“I put it off long enough,” he frowned. “I could not choose between you or Chat Noir. I’m afraid it’s up to the team.”

The other four players glanced at each other and nodded. “Ladybug,” the group rang.

“Chat Noir,” Chat was the only voice in the chorus to say his name. He frowned.

“Can’t we just be co-captains?” She asked, glancing over at Chat. “If you’re okay with it.”

“Co-captains,” Fu placed his fingers on his goatee and stroked. “Hmmm. You two are very competitive. I was afraid if I made you two co-captains practice would become less about the team and more about you two one upping each other…”

“We’ll behave, won’t we Chat?”

“You can Paw-itively count on us,” he grinned.

“Then the matter is settled. Now please children, watch the match.”

Team Dislocœur was brutal on the court, their hits were hard, fast and accurate. Much like Chat’s, but the whole team had that power in their throws. What they lacked however was communication and teamwork. Sometimes two people would aim at the same person and get caught off guard. Team Climatika used that to their advantage to get them out. Team Dislocœur didn’t even try to catch balls to bring their teammates back in.

In the end though, Kim was left on the court and singlehandedly took down two of his opponents in seconds. Team Dislocœur won two games in a row and would be moving on to the finals. They would be a tough team to beat, but Marinette pinpointed their weaknesses and mapped out a strategy.

In the transition from one game to the next, the stands started filling up. Alya, who was was still filming with her phone, made room for the new additions. Marinette recognized some of the faces from her dodgeball games, but there were several older fan out there too. Possibly fans from the first Team Miraculous era.

After warming up, the referee blew her whistle and called for the captains. Marinette and Chat approached the small woman. Her hair was the brightest shade of red she’d ever seen. Her eyes bright blue like her own. The woman smiled once Ivan arrived.

“Hello, I’m Tikki, before we start the match, I need to go over a few rules. Since this is Regionals, each match is best two out of three. Please keep it clean, meaning no headshots or face hits. That’s an automatic out, no exception. Keep behind the attack line at all times. My associate Plagg will be on the other side watching for foot faults as well. Next you cannot hold the ball for more than ten seconds, if you do the whistle will be blown and it would be considered a dead ball. If you catch a live ball, you can bring a teammate back into the game and the one who threw the ball would be out. And finally, have fun. Now shake hands and get to your teams on opposite sides of the court.” The three of them shook hands. Ivan’s grip was tighter than she expected. He was such a gentle fellow outside the court, whatever had him riled up, he took it out on the two of them.

“You okay, bugaboo?” Chat asked as they jogged back to their teams.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “Just nervous.”

“Don’t worry M’lady, you’ll do great. Remember what we practiced and you’ll do pur-fect.”

Marinette giggled. “Okay Cat Boy, let’s show them what we got.”

Marinette and Chat quickly went over the rules with their team. They were the basics, but it was always good to refresh their memories. No way they were going to get out by breaking the rules. The team lined up against the wall with one hand touching the soft mat. Once everyone was in place, Tikki blew her whistle.

The game had begun.

Marinette ran forward, but stayed behind the attack line to avoid getting hit. She kept her eyes on the balls. Her team only had two, Stoneheart’s hand the rest. Three of the opposing team members aimed their balls at Chat, hitting him on his shoulder, stomach and leg. There was no escaping, no way to catch them. Taking out one of their best players right off the bat was a deliberate hit to weaken the team.

While keeping her eye on the rest of her opponents, a stray ball rolled in her direction and she picked it up. Remembering her lesson with Chat, Marinette used her whole body to throw the ball at Ivan’s stomach. She quietly celebrated as she got him out, keeping focused on dodging the balls flying her way. A ball lobbed towards her, she caught it to bring Chat back in the game.

“Thank you M’lady,” he said as he entered.

“Be careful,” she said. A ball whizzed towards her, she slid out of the way. Chat backed up to grab the ball. “There is a target on your back. Keep your eyes on the players with balls.” Chat used his Cataclysm to get a girl holding a ball out. The power of the hit knocked the ball out of her hands and it rolled to their side.

“Aw, so you do care,” Chat kicked the ball over to her. She scooped it up, aimed for a tall boy on the other side of the court, but he dodged it.

“Please Chat this is not time to be flirty.” She broke apart from him as two balls flew in their direction. At the moment it was three against three. It seemed like the majority of the opposing team was trying to take out Chat. The closer they were the more in danger she was of being hit. “Chat you’re not going to like this, but I need you to be a distraction.” Marinette ducked as another ball passed her.

“Why can’t Queenie bee the distraction.” He slid closer, picking up a ball and throwing it. He hit the tall boy Marinette missed earlier.

“Because it looks like they’re after you at the moment. If you can pull their focus, then Queenie and I might have a chance to get them out when they aren’t looking.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette watched as Queen Bee threw a ball across the court, the opponent caught it, taking Queen Bee out and bringing Ivan back in.

“Shit.” Marinette muttered. “We have to split now.” She ran to the other side, distancing herself from Chat. Two of the three people on the opposing team focused on Chat. One girl went after her, Marinette needed to get her out for her plan to work. Chat could handle himself for a bit.

She scooped up a ball, pulled back and hurled the ball in the girls direction. It hit her right on the hip. With no time to celebrate, Marinette picked up the next ball. No one was watching her at the moment. Chat was barely hanging in there.

The boy’s back was to her. She released her next throw with all the power she had, slamming the red rubber ball right in his back.

It was down to just them and Ivan, now. He snapped his attention at Marinette, throwing the ball he saved for Chat in her direction. The ball brushed against her shoulder, but before she could process it, Chat used Cataclysm to knock Ivan down after his throw.

They’d won.

“Yes,” she cheered. 

“Pound it.” The two bumped fist to celebrate their victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regionals Part 2 coming soon. Don't forget to comment or leave kudos. 
> 
> Thanks :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regionals pt. 2: Team Miraculous vs Team Dislocœur.

With a second win against Team Stoneheart under their belt, Team Miraculous advanced to the finals. Adrien got a special kind of high off their victory, he cruised around the gym greeting his new fans and taking pictures. Ladybug eventually had to drag him away from it all for lunch.

His mind wandered back and forth between the last match and Ladybug’s lecture. A lot of fans came out to see Team Miraculous, and they didn’t disappoint. Adrien searched the crowd for Marinette, hoping she accepted his invitation. He shouldn’t have been so vague about the event when he talked with her for the first time as Chat Noir, but he had to keep secret. How everyone else found out was beyond him.

“Chat focus please,” she said. She was talking about some strategy she thought up to beat Team Dislocœur. “We you even listening to me?”

“The members of Team Dislocœur are not team players. They don’t catch balls to bring teammates back in, so if we keep bringing our teammates back in the game, then we might outnumber them in the end.” He repeated Ladybug’s words verbatim.

“Oh,” she seemed shocked. She took a sip of her sports drink to hide her smile.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know his lady was into him. She would never admit it though, the team was too important to her. He cared too, but it was the damn secret identities issue that pissed him off.

The team finished up their lunch and cleaned up, their next match was in less than fifteen minutes. Adrien stood up to excuse himself to the restroom. To avoid the public eye, he decided to use the stalls in locker room for a bit more privacy. As he finished up, he heard a harsh whisper echo from the shower area. Curiosity got the best of him, he followed the voice, keeping out of sight when he saw three figures standing next to each other talking.

“You have failed me,” a deep voice said. “I needed you to take Team Miraculous out of the circuit earily. You said you had a plan to take out their best player. You lied to me.”

“I underestimated the Ladybug girl,” another voice said. Ivan? Who was he talking to? “She didn’t stand out during tryouts. I don’t know why Fu picked her.”

“I won’t fail you Le Papillon,” another voice said. “My team will crush Team Miraculous in the finals.”

“Good Kim,” Le Papillon replied. “And once you do, you will be handsomely rewarded. Now leave my sight.”

Adrien hurried out of the locker room before anyone could see him. He made his way back to his team’s area.

“Fu, Ladybug, could I speak with you for a moment?” He pulled the two aside where they could not be heard. “I think you were right about a target being on my back during the match against Team Stoneheart. Ivan was at the tryout, wasn’t he Fu?”

The old man nodded.

“Ivan,” Marinette thought back. “The boy in the monkey mask was around the same shape and size of Ivan. That explains why he knew to attack you first. You were showing off that day. He must of assumed you were the strongest player and taking you out early in the game would weaken us.”

Adrien continued. “I overheard him talking with a man called Le Papillon along with the team captain of Dislocœur. Whoever this Le Papillon guy is, he’s been working with Ivan and Kim and wants to take us out of the circuit.”

“Le Papillon?”

Adrien notice Fu stiffen at the mention of the name.

“You know him?” Adrien asked.

The old man thought carefully before answering. “I do unfortunately. It is a story for another time. You two need to get ready for the match. Team Dislocœur will be tougher than expected, especially if they’re after your heads. Stay on guard, stay together. That is the only way we will get through this.”

Adrien and Ladybug nodded.

The final match was about to start, the team made their way back to the gym for warm ups. Adrien scanned the crowd to find someone, anyone who looked menacing enough to be Le Papillon. The faces all blended together, it could be anyone.

“You okay Chat?” Ladybug asked.

He shook his head. “Last game, Ivan underestimated you. Kim won’t make the same mistake, be careful out there.”

“I will,” she nodded.

Adrien’s heart ached for his lady. He wanted to protect her at all cost. She survived the first two games without a scratch because of an oversight. But this was different, she had a target on her back as well, and if Team Dislocœur hit as hard as they did during their first match, his lady could get seriously hurt.

No, she was quick and could take care of herself. They were both targets now, the further apart they were, the better. It would split up their attacks and attention. They worked better as a team, but this match, it was ever man for themselves. Catching the balls to bring fallen teammates back in was the only thing they could do at the moment.

The captains met with the referee. This one was named Plagg, he had dark black hair and catlike green eyes. He smelled slightly of cheese which made him want to gag. Adrien pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he listened to the rules again. 

They split to get into starting position. Plagg blew his whistle.

The game began.

Adrien ran as fast as he could to grab a ball, unfortunately he wasn’t fast enough and backed up out of the attack zone. Once again, multiple balls flew in his direction. He barely managed to escape this time.

This was not going to be easy.

Throughout the game, Ladybug’s strategy worked for the most part. They took out the players one by one when they caught the ball bringing their teammates back in. However it didn’t work for long and Ladybug ended up being the last one standing at the end of the first game. Two against one, she didn’t have a chance unless she brought someone back in.

The ball hurled towards her chest, she reached up to catch, but it slipped out of her grasp before she could claim it.

“Shit,” he muttered. They were now down one game. They needed to win the next two in order to advance to Sectionals.

The team took a brief water break before going back on the court for game two. Ladybug looked down at her hands, dejected. Adrien took her hands in his and squeezed the gently. “Hey,” he said. “It’s okay LB, we’re still in this.” Usually Ladybug was the optimistic one of the two, the role reversal was a bit jarring.

Ladybug looked up to him with her big blue bell eyes and smiled. “Thank you Chaton,” she squeezed his hand back. The new nickname warmed his heart a bit. Plagg blew his whistle for the teams to get into position. “Let’s kick some ass.”

The next game went far better than the first. He and Ladybug were able to target the player’s attacking the other, while the other four took turns bringing their teammates back in. They picked off the players one by one. Before long it was four against one, and Volpino was able to knock down Team Dislocœur’s last man standing.

The final game of the match flew by in a fury. It was tighter than the other two. Kim was the last one on the court on his team, while Adrien and Ladybug managed to stay in the game. It should have been easy, one Cataclysm would send his team to Sectionals.

But before he could scoop up another ball, Kim aimed for Ladybug. From the angle of his arm the ball would hit her directly in the head. The hit alone would have gotten them him and send Team Miraculous to Sectionals, but Ladybug would most likely get a concussion or worse.

“Ladybug!” He called as the ball left Kim’s hands. She turned a fraction of an inch, her eyes no longer on the ball. Without thinking, Adrien ran to Ladybug and shielded her from the hit with his body. The ball slammed directly between his shoulder blades and stung like a bitch.

Plagg blew his whistle. “Out.” He called.

Adrien peeled his body away from his lady. As he jogged back to the sidelines, his team gave him a concerned look.

What had he done?

He took a hit for Ladybug, a hit that would have sent the team to Sectionals. But worse than that, she could have dodged it if he hadn’t called out to her, if he hadn’t distracted her. Now she was alone with Kim on the court.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

He turned his attention back to the game. Kim dodged the ball Ladybug thew and tried to hit her again. She ducked out of the way. In one fluid movement she rolled, grabbed a ball to her left, and hurled it in his direction. As the ball slammed against Kim’s stomach, the crowd roared.

Ladybug had sealed away Team Miraculous’ victory.

 _No thanks to me._ Adrien thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN  
> After 10 chapters Le Papillon finally makes an appearance and the plot actually moves forward.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oops, some angst fell into the fluff.

Once the public cleared out, Fu ordered pizza for the team to celebrate their victory. Marinette was thrilled, she never received this kind of attention before. She was good at two things, designing and dodgeball. Her designing had taken a backseat to dodgeball this summer since she didn’t get the internship, but she was feeling inspired to combine the two and make new uniforms for Sectionals. 

“Ladybug check this out,” Volpino waved her over to his phone. “Someone posted a video of your final move from the last game.” Marinette watched in amazement as Ladybug gracefully dodged and rolled before striking Kim with the final blow. Was that really her? She seemed so confident and almost majestic.

“How did this get uploaded so fast?” She asked. The uploader was Lady Wifi, Alya’s online persona. Why was she so interested in dodgeball now? She barely lasted one game the time Marinette took her to the center last summer. It was weird having Alya at Regionals. As Ladybug, Marinette dodged camera her every chance she had. Luckily, the in the video, she could barely see her masked face. It was for the best, she couldn’t have new fans hunting her down.

“I don’t know, but it already has a thousand views and counting.” Volpino said as he continued to browse through his phone. “It looks like it’s already been shared to several dodgeball forums and Facebook groups.”

“Dude, you’re going to be famous,” Paon said.

“You must be very careful now that you are in the public eye,” Fu turned to Marinette. “Keep a low profile if you choose to continue to play with your friends this season. It is vital now more than ever for you to keep your identities a secret, and that goes for all of you.” Fu stood up. “I am heading home. We will resume practice as scheduled Monday morning. Great job team.”

She understood how the secret identities worked as a gimmick, the public loved the mystery of Team Miraculous. But not sharing with her own teammates seemed too extreme. Did it have something to do with the Le Papillon guy Chat mentioned earlier? Fu wasn’t so eager to share right away, she’d have to corner him after practice.

Volpino played the video again for Queen Bee this time. “You know, the only thing that’s missing from the video is when Chat took that headshot for you,” Queen Bee said. 

Chat sank lower in his seat. He sat as far away from her as possible during dinner, not bothering to look in her direction. She should have been annoyed, she could have avoided that hit easily. But him throwing himself in front of the ball to protect her, was something she’d never expect him to do. He always put himself first on the court, the sudden change in character was heartwarming to say the least.

“Chat,” Marinette put her hand on her teammate’s shoulder. He tensed for a second before relaxing. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he muttered.

“Clearly something is wrong, please, talk to me.” She hated being shut out by him. After the match she went up to him to bump fist, but he turned away. There was no witty banter, no flirting, nothing afterwards.

Chat shrugged her hand off his shoulder. “What do you want me to say? Congratulation? Thanks to you, we’re going to Sectionals. Woo,” he said dryly.

“Wait, are you mad because I finished the final game?”

The team sensed the tension between the two. “Mom and Dad are fighting again,” Paon whispered.

“Sorry, let’s talk privately,” Marinette dragged Chat away from the group into one of the gyms. “What the hell is your problem? First you take a hit for me, then you get jealous because I took out Kim? You finished at least two of the games today by yourself, why is this a big deal?”

“The big deal is that you’ve taken over everything,” he snapped. “The team wanted you as captain, then you decide to throw me a bone and make me co-captain, but call all the shots the rest of the day.”

“You never said anything…”

“I never had a chance to, everyone’s so eager to listen to our fearless leader Ladybug, if I were to make a suggestion, the team would bring out the pitchforks and torches.”

“That’s not true, they respect you as much as me.” She was embellishing the truth, the team liked him, but they too were tired of his selfish ways on the court.

“Don’t lie to me,” he spat. “Everybody loves Ladybug. Even Le Papillon and his goons were more worried about you than me on the court. Maybe that lesson was a bad idea.”

Marinette was ready to throttle him. “Are you serious Chat? You think I’m better than you?”

“Oh, I know you are and it’s my own damn fault.”

“Damn it Chat,” she barked. “I thought you changed, that you were finally becoming a team player. Hell, I was going to thank you for taking that hit for me, which by the way I could have handled myself, but now I’m starting to wonder if you actually cared. Maybe you were just trying to be the white knight so everyone would love you and now you’re angry because it backfired.”

“Don’t you ever think that my taking that hit for you was for selfish reasons.” Chat stepped closer, invading her personal space. She could practically feel his heart slamming against his chest. His hot breath brushed against her neck as he leaned closer. “I loved this sport more than anything else in my life, it was my passion, my obsession. And then you came along and changed everything.”

“What are you saying Chat?” Marinette look up into his eyes, her heart pounding a mile a minute. His eyes shifted from anger to something else

Chat leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. He placed his hand on her waist to balance her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. The kiss set her body ablaze, so much tension between the two finally resolved. She wanted more, but he pulled away too quickly.

“I’m sorry,” he stepped back. “Sorry.” He sprinted out of the gym.

Marinette sank down to the floor, gently touching her lips. “Oh boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the story is finally shaping up into what I want it to be. And now that I've introduced Le Papillon, we can finally have some conflict and not just love square fluff. I have the next few chapters outlined and and I know how I want to end it.. I don't know how long this story will be, but thank you all for enjoying the ride.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marichat. MARICHAT. MARICHAT!!!!!!!

Adrien wandered aimlessly through the streets alone as Chat Noir. he was dropped off at the mansion hours ago, but he needed some air. It was easier to walk around in his Chat Noir clothes and mask, so he left without a word. He got a few stares and dirty looks, but no one seemed to care about a boy in a cat mask wondering the streets of Paris.

He needed to clear his head, he knew his actions were uncalled for, but he couldn’t take it back. Yelling at Ladybug was the second worst thing he did today (The first being kissing her and running away). He played the conversation over and over again in his head. The anger he felt after the match should not have been directed towards her. In his anger, the little things that bugged him surfaced and he used them to take out his frustration on her.

Yeah, he was a dick.

A tiny droplet of water hit the top of his head, Adrien looked up just as the rain poured from the sky. He ran for cover, his back pressing against the doorway of the first building he could reach. He turned to open the door, it wouldn’t budge. Of course it was closed, just his luck. He slid against the glass, defeated.

“Excuse me?” A familiar voice said. Ladybug?

Adrien looked up, no, it was Marinette. She held a black umbrella and several bags filled with fabric.

“What are you doing out there?” She asked

“Why hello to you too Purr-incess.” He tried to put on that Chat Noir charm, but it just wasn’t happening.

“Uh, hi…” she said timidly. “You’re the guy I met at the center a few weeks ago, right?”

“The one and only,” he bowed his head slightly.

“Are you a celebrity now?” There was a slight edge to her voice.

“I’m getting there,” he muttered. He was surprised she remembered their conversation. “I didn’t see you at the center this morning.”

“I had plans,” she paused. “Could you move please, I need to get inside.”

Adrien looked up, he was outside of Tom & Sabine’s Boulangerie Patisserie where she worked and lived. “Sorry,” he stood up. “I got caught off guard by the rain.”

“I can see that.” she opened the front door. Adrien stepped back out in the rain to walk home. “Wait,” she called after him, he turned. “It’s pouring, please come inside until it clears up.”

“Are you sure?” He stepped closer. “You don’t know me.”

Marinette sighed. “You’re right, I don’t. But you seem down in the dumps and the best way to cheer someone up is with a nice cup of hot chocolate.”

“It’s nearly thirty degrees still…”

“Once the A/C hits your wet clothes you’ll be freezing, trust me. Now are you coming inside or what?”

“Thank you.” He followed Marinette into the bakery and upstairs to her living room. She was right, all of the heat escaped from his body as soon as he stepped into the cool room. He shivered, rubbing his hands over his arms to create friction.

“Don’t sit on the couch,” she warned him. “Let me get a few towels. Don’t touch anything.” She hurried upstairs.

Adrien glanced around, the space was smaller than his own bedroom, but it seemed cozier. Care was put into the decor of their home. The couch and many accents in the room were a light shade of pink. The Chinese artwork scrolls on their walls, gave it the perfect touch. Everything in his house was bleak and cold. His father may be a world famous fashion designer, but he left the interior design to someone else. It was less like a home and more like a museum.

“Hey,” Marinette came back downstairs with a few towels and wrapped one around his shoulders. “I’m going to get started on the hot chocolate. You can sit on one of the stools if you like.”

“Thanks,” he nodded, following Marinette into the kitchen area and sat at the island. “You know,” he started. “We’ve met twice, you’ve invited me to your home and yet I still don’t know your name.”

Marinette continued to make the hot chocolate without looking his way. “You never told me yours.”

“In this mask, I go by Chat Noir.”

“Creative,” she muttered. She placed the mug of milk and cocoa mix in the microwave. “I’m Marinette.”

“A lovely name for a lovely princess.” he leaned forward.

“Cool it Castinova Cat. Lines like that don’t work on me.” The microwave dinged, Marinette took out the mug and stirred. She grabbed a bag of mini marshmallows from the cabinet and dropped a few in the drink. “He’s your hot chocolate, now talk,” she slid a mug towards him.

His father would never allow him to drink something like this at home. Adrien took a sip, the liquid warmed him instantly. “Delicious,” he hummed in delight before turning his attention back to his friend. “What do you mean talk?”

“Like I said earlier, you seem down in the dumps. Do you need to get something off your chest?”

He did actually and had no one to talk to. The only people he could talk to about this was his team, and he had no way to contact them. He did however have a rare opportunity to vent. As Adrien, he and Marinette had nice brief conversations. He always tried to keep it light, because they weren’t there yet. But as Chat? They were complete strangers in her eyes. Maybe this could work.

“I love dodgeball.” He started.

“Dodgeball?”

“Yes, I started playing a few years ago, it was a great way to release some frustration from the outside world. And I found out that I am good at it too, it’s the one thing I do for myself. My skill has nothing to do with name, my money or my father. When I play, I feel like I am finally the best version of myself. But it never really last long. Someone gets wind of who I am and the illusion is shattered and I’m back to square one. So I would hop around from center to center joining different games around Paris until the next person find out my name.”

“That could get lonely,” Marinette frowned.

“Dodgeball is my life, Princess and for the longest time it was all about me. Then, I got an opportunity to be a part of a team. A real team where it didn’t matter who I was, only that I was one of the best and no one would know my true name.”

“Is that why you wear the mask?”

“I don’t know why we wear them, honestly. But for me it’s the freedom I always wanted. As Chat Noir, I don’t have to worry about my reputation or anything like that. All that mattered was what I did on the court and nobody could take that away from me.” He paused. “Then I met Ladybug.”

“Ladybug?”

“A girl on my team,” he sighed dreamily. “She’s amazing, and sweet and so wonderful, but I fucked it up.”

“What did you do?”

“At the end of the final match, a ball was aimed at her head and I took the hit for her. She won the game for us.” He paused, to a deep breath and continued. “I got angry.”

“At Ladybug?”

“No,” he sighed. “At myself. I distracted her, she could have dodged it and the game would have ended a lot differently.”

“But your team won. That’s what really mattered right?”

“That’s not the point,” he raked his fingers through his damp hair. The clip on cat ears fell off. “My actions could have very easily cost us the game as well. Ladybug is a great player, but when she’s the last one on the court, it’s unpredictable. I let my feeling for her cloud my judgement. I kept beating myself up about it and all that anger was just pent up inside. When Ladybug asked me what was wrong, I couldn’t take it anymore and I just snapped. The little things that bugged me about the day just came out. The fact that everyone respected her more than me, how she was the better player, stupid things really. Hell, I’m so lucky to have her as a teammate, but now she thinks I was being petty and selfish because I wasn’t in the spotlight. Honestly, the fight was pointless, none of it mattered, I was just taking out my frustrations with myself on her.”

“That’s terrible.”

“I know, but what was I going to tell her? That I hate that I put the team in that position during the last seconds of the game? It didn’t matter, because in the moment, I was an asshole and said terrible things I can’t take back. Now she probably hates me.”

Marinette reached out and took hold of his hands. The intimacy of the gesture, was strange, but welcomed. Marinette didn’t know Chat. Or at least, she didn’t know he was Adrien. Either way, the contact soothed him a bit.

“I’m sure she doesn’t hate you,” she said. “You need to apologize.”

Adrien’s eyes averted Marinette’s gaze. “I can’t, I don’t think I can even look her in the eyes again.” he paused again. “I kissed her in the middle of the fight, then bolted.”

Marinette didn’t answer, letting the silence ring out between them. Finally, she sighed and said. “Was it bad?”

Not the response he was expecting.

“No, it was amazing, brief, but amazing.” He still remembered the feel of her soft lips, her arms wrapping around him as she melted into the kiss.

“Then why did you bolt?”

“Because,” Adrien paused to find the right words to explain his feeling. “Ladybug and I have a complicated relationship. We’re teammates, but we don’t know who we are behind the masks. I flirt, she makes a witty remark and we play dodgeball together. Everything was great, but I want more, and I’m not sure if she feels the same way. I was worried that the kiss might have scared her away.”

“I think what scared her away was the fact that you ran away after this ‘amazing’ kiss. She’s probably just confused and wondered what she did wrong afterwards.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You need to talk with her asap.”

“But I won’t see her until Monday, that’s too long.” He put his face in his hands. He couldn’t wait until Monday, he needed to see her. Maybe Fu could find a way to contact her.

Wait, the team email addresses Fu had them create. Surely her email was in one of Fu’s group messages.

He pulled out his phone and powered it on to find the email address. He had it turned off all day, because he didn’t want to be bothered. Unfortunately as soon as it booted, he had five miss calls (all from Nathalie) and several unanswered texts. He needed to get home. “Thank you for listening Marinette.” He finished up his hot chocolate. “I need to get home.”

“But it’s still raining.”

“I think I can manage.” Nathalie knew he was gone and sent his driver out looking for him. He texted his driver to pick him up around the corner. He needed to find a private place to take off his mask first. “It was great talking with you.”

“I’ll walk you to the door downstairs.” As they headed out the door, Marinette grabbed the large black umbrella she had earlier. It was almost identical to his own back at the mansion. “Take this.”

“I can’t,”

“We have at least ten umbrellas in the house,” she handed it to him. “This one won’t be missed. And if you decide to return it, you know where I live.”

“Purr-incess, are you inviting me back?” he wiggled his eyebrows and grinned.

“Oh no. You’re not starting that again.” They reached the front door. “And yes, if you’d like, there will always be hot chocolate waiting.”

“It’s July.”

“Goodbye Chat Noir.” She opened the door to usher him out.

“Thank you again, Princess.” He bowed and kissed her hand. She didn’t pull away like Ladybug did. His lips lingered longer than usual. He lifted his head and smiled. “Until we meet again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am Marichat Trash.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat apologizes to Ladybug and the two learn the truth about the first Team Miraculous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :D

**Ladybug,**

**I know this would be better in person, but since we won’t see each other until Monday, this has to be said now. I am truly sorry for the way I acted this afternoon. I took out my anger with myself on you and it was completely uncalled for. You are an amazing player and I am truly lucky to be on a team with you. I know I can’t take back what I said, and I can only hope that we can rebuild our friendship back to the way it was.**

**Sincerely,**

**Chat Noir**

Marinette read the email over and over again all weekend. He sent it almost an hour after he left her house. She couldn’t bring herself to reply. Her heart to heart with Chat showed a side of him she never knew existed. Part of her was still angry with him, but the other part was falling for him faster than she anticipated, burying her feeling for Adrien deeper and deeper back.

Monday, after dropping off the deliveries to the cafe, Marinette quickly changed into her Ladybug gear and headed to the court. Chat Noir sat at the bleacher with his hands in his head waiting for her. When the door slammed behind her, he looked up.

“Ladybug,” he ran towards her, but stopped short before getting too close. “I am so sorry about the other day, I was a complete asshole.”

“I know,” she nodded. “I read your email.”

“You didn’t respond.”

“I didn’t know what to say, Chat,” she said. “You hurt my feeling, then you kiss me and ran. What was I supposed to say. I kept racking around in my brain what did I do wrong?” She knew the answer for the most part, but she wanted to hear it as Ladybug.

“You did nothing wrong M’lady. I jeopardized the team by distracting you. I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself on the court. I let my feeling for you cloud my judgement and I won’t let it happen again.”

Marinette sighed. “I forgive you chaton,” she said, stepping in closer. She wrapped her arms around Chat, pulling him in for a hug. She held tight, not wanting to let go. “Please, be honest with me next time. We’re a team and the co-captains. We have to communicate efficiently and set an example for the others.”

“Of course,” he smiled. “You are amazing M’lady, have I ever told you that.”

“Almost everyday chaton, but I don’t mind.”

“I got you a present.” He pulled a small red yo-yo with black polka dots out of the pocket of his gym shorts. “I saw this the other day and thought of you. It’s like a Ladybug.”

“We you planning on bribing me for my forgiveness,” She teased, taking the yo-you out of his hand.

Chat Noir’s face turned bright red. She hugged him again, breathing in his earthy scent. Her heart rammed against her ribcage. Being in his arm felt right, perfect even. She glanced up at Chat and tilted her head. She shut her eyes as he leaned forward to kiss her.

The sound of the door slamming broke apart their hug. Fu entered with the rack of dodgeballs, his eyes locked on the two. One by one, the rest of the team entered the gym.

Practice ran as smooth as it could after the rocky end to Regionals. Marinette and Chat ensured the team that everything was fine between them now. They ran drills and played several games of three on three before calling it quits.

“That’s it for today.” Fu blew his whistle. “Good work everyone. Ladybug, Chat Noir please stay behind.” The gym cleared quickly, Chat and Marinette followed Fu to the supply closet where to drop off the balls. “My office is just around the corner.” Fu said.

“You work here?” Chat asked.

“Yes,” he nodded, “It’s the reason why we can practice before the center opens.”

The three settled in Fu’s small office. The walls were covered in newspaper clippings about Team Miraculous’ victories and several trophies sat on the shelves. Marinette spotted a picture of a group of young adults in masks. Holding a large trophy between them were a Ladybug and a Chat Noir.

This Ladybug was different much different from her. She was petite and slender. Her hair was long and blonde which she wore in a low ponytail. The Chat Noir was taller and much more muscular than her Chat. His shaggy dark black hair almost fell into his eyes.

“This is the first Team Miraculous, right?” She asked. Fu nodded. “There’s a Ladybug and Chat Noir, but the other animals masks are different.”

“Yes, much like you two, the Ladybug and Chat Noir were the foundation of the team. I knew I had to have a pair like before the lead the team.”

“But you gave us the masks before tryouts,” Chat said. “You couldn’t have known we’d work together well, like before.”

“I had a feeling you two would work it out,” Fu smiled lightly. “But I’m afraid the time has come for you two to learn the truth about Team Miraculous.”

Fu took in a deep breath before continuing. Chat slipped his hand in Marinette’s and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Long ago, I formed the first Team Miraculous out of young adults such as yourself who lived and breathed dodgeball. To stand out in the circuit, the team decided to keep their identities a secret to the public. After our second win at Nationals, one of the players quit and we had a spot to fill. In my scouting, I found a young man with exceptional skills and offered him a place on the team. His alias, Le Papillon.”

Marinette gasped, and glanced over at Chat. His face remained unreadable.

“The team was very protective of their identities at this point and decided to stay in masks until they knew they could trust him. At the time you have to understand, we had two national trophies under our belts, the public wanted to know who they were. It was too risky to let an outsider in. So the team didn’t know identity and he didn’t know theirs.”

“Isn’t that a little unfair,” Marinette said.

“At the time we thought it was smart and we were right. Little did I know, Le Papillon was a fan, obsessed with Ladybug. She was at the time, involved with Chat Noir in a romantic relationship in and out of the mask. He spent his time on the team trying to discover their true identities. When he did, he used every ounce of his power and influence blackmail Chat Noir into leaving the country for good. With Chat Noir gone, and Ladybug’s heart broken the team fell in shambles. I grew suspicious of Le Papillon from the beginning. When I confronted him he threatened to ruin my reputation as well as every member of my team if I told them.”

“What did you do?” Chat asked.

“After he destroyed everything we worked for, I moved to back China with my family, far away from Le Papillon’s grasp. I returned to Paris ten years later to discover Le Papillon was married to the former Ladybug. Had she not known of his treachery? We met in secret, and I told her of her husband’s misdeeds. She didn’t believe me at first, but days later I received a letter saying she’s leaving her husband to find Chat Noir. And that was the last I heard from her.

“Over the years, I tried to start a new Team Miraculous in my time in Paris. However, I kept facing roadblocks along the way. I only feared Le Papillon was to blame. Now that I finally have a team formed, I thought he had put it all behind him. But after Chat Noir’s discovery during Regionals, he is still out there waiting for his revenge. The question is what is his angle?”

“He wants to destroy our reputation and the legacy,” Chat said simply. “What better way to keep you from bringing Team Miraculous back to it’s former glory.”

“It must be,” Fu nodded. “That being said, it is vital to keep identities secret, especially as we head to Sectional.” Fu paused, starting at the two’s joined hands. “I can see you two care about each other very much, but with Le Papillon still out there, I don’t think it’s wise to pursue a personal relationship.”

Marinette glanced over at Chat. His face fell flat and his hand dropped to it’s side. “But–”

“There has to be another way,” Marinette interrupted.

“You do not know the lengths this man will go to destroy this team. He if he can’t find anything on you he will target your family and anyone you care about.” Fu paused. “There is one other option.”

“What is it?” Chat asked desperately.

“You can hand over your masks and leave the team for good,” he said sternly. “I know it’s extreme, but it’s the only way to protect you from Le Papillon. The question is, what’s more important. Your relationship or the team. You have until tomorrow to decide.” He gestured for them to leave. “I’m sorry you two, I wish there was a better way.”

The two stepped out into the hall, walking slowly back to the locker rooms. The didn’t say anything, the silence between them was deafening. The choice should have been an easy one. She wanted to be with him, but in the process she would lose everything she worked hard for this summer. Not to mention, Chat told Marinette that dodgeball was his life, his escape. On top of everything, they had to think of the team. Marinette preached to Chat about putting the team first, if she were to quit now, she’d be a hypocrite.

Breaking the news to Chat Noir would break his heart for sure.

“M’lady,” he sighed. “Playing dodgeball with you and the team has been the highlight of my summer. I don’t know if I’ll ever find a team like this again. As much as I want to be with you, I have to think about the team. You taught me that.”

“Of course,” she said dry. “We have to think of the team. Friends.” She held out her hand for him to shake it.

“Friends,” he took her hand, and kissed it lightly on the knuckles before heading into the locker room.

Marinette held back her tears as long as she could when she entered the girl’s locker room. She stripped off her mask and threw it in the locker. Hot tears erupted from her eyes, rolling down her face as she cried herself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically Marinette is tired of Chloe's shit and makes a bet.

“Adriekins, I never see you anymore,” Chloe shrilled over the phone.

Adrien sighed. He knew he shouldn’t have picked up, but he ignored all of her calls for days, the last thing he needed was for her to make a house call.

“I’m sorry Chloe, I’m just going through some things right now.” The past couple days had been a nightmare. Now, after learning the truth about Team Miraculous and the dangers of Le Papillon, his chances with Ladybug went from a nine to a zero in less than five minutes. He couldn’t quit the team, as much as he wanted to be with his Lady, he could not be selfish. Especially with Sectionals almost a month away. 

“Adrien, we need to talk. The Rec center cafe, 5:30 be there, or I will be coming over.” With that the line went dead. Adrien sighed, checking the clock on his phone. _4:15 pm_. He had about hour to shower and get dressed. He could sulk for at least ten more minutes before heading back to the center.

He dozed off for a bit. A knock at his door pulled him out of slumber. Nathalie entered, her eyes glued to her tablet. “Your father requests your presence in his office.” She said without looking up. Before he could respond, she turned to leave.

Adrien groaned, checking his clock, _4:50 pm_. Shit, he had to meet Chloe soon. He still had to shower. He hadn’t left his room since he got home after practice. Getting up from the comfort of his own bed, Adrien to walk to his father’s office. His father sat at his computer, not even bothering to look at him as he entered. Adrien waited patiently for his father’s attention.

“Adrien,” his father gave him a once over, adjusting his glasses. “I see you haven’t changed from your workout attire this morning. What have you been doing all day?”

“Nothing father,” he shrugged. His father wasn’t one to talk about emotions. Helping heal his broken heart, was not his forte.

His father studied Adrien’s face, before sitting back in his chair. “Next month, I will be hosting charity fundraiser at Le Grand Paris Hotel. I need you to find a date for this event.”

“What day is it?”

“Saturday, August 20th, is there a problem Adrien?”

It was the first day of sectionals. Lucky for him the Rec center was hosting sectionals this year and only was few blocks away from the hotel, but he wouldn’t know his schedule until the day of the event. If a match falls during the time of the fundraiser, there was no way he could be in two places at once.

“I have plans.”

“Cancel them, you are my son and the face of the Agreste line. You will be there with a an appropriate date. You are lucky I’m letting you choose a companion. I hear your friend Chloe is more than willing to be your date, if she gets to you first.” Gabriel lips twitched slightly, almost as if he was going to smile. He know Adrien couldn’t say no to Chloe, at least not without a good reason. He needed a date, fast. He’ll deal with the details later.

Adrien checked his phone, _5:00 pm_. If he took a quick shower he could get to the rec center before Chloe’s yoga class let out.

With Ladybug out of the picture, there was only one girl he could think of to bring to the fundraiser.

*** 

“Marinette we need to talk.” Adrien ran to the counter of the cafe, breathless. It was cutting it close, Chloe would be out in less than five minutes. He had to ask her quick. He looked up, Alya, not Marinette, stood behind the register. “I’m sorry, I thought Marinette was working.”

“She is,” Alya said. “She’s just in the back grabbing a couple ingredients for Chloe’s smoothie. She’ll be back in a minutes.” 

“Thanks, I’ll wait here.” He stepped aside in case another customer were to arrive.

“I’m glad you’re here. She’s been in a bad mood all day, maybe talking with you will cheer her up.”

“Really? Why?” It was hard to picture Marinette in bad mood. She was such a happy and optimistic person. Even with Chloe, she never let her get under her skin too much.

“You’re guess is as good as mine,” she said as a customer stopped in front of the register, Alya turned her attention to them.

Marinette walked out of the back room carrying a bag of kale and a bunch of bananas. Not seeing Adrien she dropped the ingredients on the counter and grabbed a blender.

“Marinette,” Adrien said.

“Adrien,” Marinette gasped. Startled, she almost dropped the blender. “What are you doing here?”

Even though they saw each other on Saturday, she talked to Chat Noir. It’s been almost a week since Adrien and Marinette talked. He forgot it took a while for her to warm up to him. But he had no time for small talk. “I know this is random, but I have a favor to ask you.”

“Okay…”

“I need a date for my father’s charity fundraiser next month.”

Marinette froze, Adrien could not read her face. Was he being too forward? Did she take it the wrong way? He should have asked her to go as a friend, but that was implied he asked for the favor. Maybe she didn’t like him as much as he’d hoped. They were friends, right? Or at least they tried to be. Both of their schedules prevented them from hanging out outside of her work hours. Was he reading this all wrong?

“Earth to Marinette,” Alya snapped her fingers in her face.

“Huh.” Marinette blinked fast. “Um, could you repeat that?”

“I said, would you like to go to a fundraiser my father is hosting with me?” He asked, a little louder to make sure she heard.

“NOOOOOOOOOO,” A voice shrieked from behind him.

Chloe. Shit.

With fury in her eyes, Chloe stormed towards the counter. “Adrikins, you cannot go to the fundraiser with her,” she sneered. “That event is for the Paris elite, you cannot bring that low life piece of trash.” 

“That’s it’s.” Marinette reached across the counter for Chloe. Alya and Adrien were able to hold her back. “I’ve had enough of your shit, let me at her.”

“Calm down Marinette,” Alya tried to console her. “You’re smarter than this.”

“Adrien will be going to the fundraiser with me, end of discussion.”

“No,” Marinette barked, stepping behind the counter. She squared off with Chloe. “He asked me first.”

“Wait, wait wait,” a new voice arrived at the scene. Nino. “I have an idea.”

“What are you doing here?” Alya asked.

“You know each other?” Adrien and Marinette said in unison.

“Uh, yeah,” Nino said uncomfortably. “We uh meet…uh… at work.”

“At school,” Alya said overlapping Nino’s final words. Alya gave Nino a death glare, before turning back to her friends. “We meet volunteering at a school. What are you doing here Nino?” She asked again.

“It’s this Central Community vs Bourgeois Rec dodgeball game,” Nino said. “I overheard you guys and I might have a solution. Chloe could play on my team and whichever team won, will take Adrien to the fundraiser.”

Adrien wanted to object, but the idea of Marinette plummeting Chloe with dodgeballs was too tempting to pass over. 

“I’d rather have her fired.” Chloe scoffed.

“What are you scared?” Marinette taunted. The look in her eye was deadly. “Afraid you might break a nail?”

_Angry Marinette was scary_ , Adrien thought.

“I am not scared,” Chloe’s eyes locked with Marinette’s. “Just to be clear, it’s the team that has to win, right?”

“Right?”

“Fine, let’s make this a little more interesting. If my team wins, you and your family’s baked goods are no longer welcomed in the Center.”

“And if my team wins…” Marinette thought for a moment. “the cafe staff and I will no longer be at your beck and call. You will act like a regular customer and stand in line like everyone else and no more threatening to fire me and my family when things don’t go your way. Deal?” She held out her hand.

“Oh, one more thing,” Chloe said before shaking her hand. “I will represent Bourgeois Rec, you play with the Central Community losers. And they cannot know about the bet.”

“Fine by me,” Marinette’s gaze did not leave Chloe’s.

The two shook hands, Sabrina, who was hiding somewhere in the back of all this, ran to her friend’s side and pumped hand sanitizer in her hands.

“Six o’clock, Gym 2,” Marinette said. “Don’t be late.”

“I won’t and don’t forget my smoothie.” She turned on her heels and walked to her spot in the cafe, Sabrina followed silently.

“Nino, are you sure about this?” Adrien asked. He didn’t want Marinette to lose her job over him. There had to be a better way.

“Absolutely, We are going to crush Bourgeois Rec,” Nino cheered.

“Sneaking bastard,” Alya smirked. “You planned this.”

“Not really,” Nino shrugged. “Everything just kind of worked out perfectly. I knew whatever team I told her to be on she would do the opposite. Marinette is one of the best players at the center. Without her, they will crash and burn.”

“Hey,” Marinette protested. “Those are my friends.”

“Just telling it like it is,” Nino shrugged. “I’ll let everybody know the deal. I’ll meet you in the gym.”

With Nino gone, Marinette started to make Chloe’s smoothie while Alya tended to the customers who witnessed the scene. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” she muttered. “We never even asked you what you wanted.”

“I’m used to it,” he said. “But you didn’t have to put your job on the line for me.”

“I’ll be fine,” Marinette said. “You know Chloe, she’ll get out early enough and let the other player do all the work. Plus, I have the advantage, I know my team and how to take them out.”

Adrien couldn’t help but smile lightly, Marinette had a similar fire in her eyes that reminded him of Ladybug. He wish he saw it more often, that just showed how much of a terrible friend he’s been. “There’s so much I don’t know about you,” he said aloud, but his words were covered by the sound of the blender.

Marinette shut off the blender. “What did you say?”

“Nothing,” he said. “I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll see you in a bit.”

*** 

About twenty minutes later, Adrien sat in the bleachers in Gym 2 to watch the game. There was a dodgeball spray painted gold in a clear plastic box a few feet away from him. Nino mentioned some sort of trophy they played for, that must have been it.

Marinette arrive on the court, she had this determined look in her eyes. She gathered her new team around her to talk strategy. Adrien glaced at the other side of the court. A few of the Bourgeois Rec players looked like they were trying to explain the rules to her. Chloe clearly wasn’t listening. Adrien sighed, Marinette was right, she was going to leave all the dirty work to them.

Alya and a few other spectators joined him on the bleachers to watch. The little scene at the cafe must have drew some attention. The opportunity to see Chloe get hit by a dodgeball was too good to pass up. She had a poor rapport with the members of her father’s center, and all of Paris for that face.

“Attention spectators,” a man with dark brown hair tied in a ponytail took center court to address the small crowd. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the referee Theo Barbot. You are about to witness this evening the annual Central Community vs. Bourgeois Recreation Center dodgeball game. Tonight, we are competing for The Golden Dodgeball.” He gestured to the ball sitting proudly in a clear plastic cube. “Last year, Bourgeois Rec took home the prize, Central is out for blood.” There was a mixture of boos and cheers coming from the team and crowd. “This year however, we will be doing something a little different. Bourgeois Rec’s very own Marinette Dupain-Cheng will be joining the ranks of Central Community for the game. Chloe Bourgeois, the Mayor’s daughter will be repping Bourgeois Rec for the first time. All right players line up.”

Each team went to the end of their respective sides. One of the Bourgeois players had to instruct Chloe to put her hand on the back wall. Once everyone was in position, Theo blew his whistle.

The game began, Adrien watched as Marinette run straight for the balls. She grabbed one, barely dodging the ball whizzing past her shoulder. Backing away, she picked a target and aimed right for a tall blonde boy. The ball collided with the boy’s stomach. He toppled backwards, next to Chloe. Her face showed the sheer fear in her eyes. She had no idea what she was in for.

Watching Marinette on the court was interesting. She played with a rage and anger, much like he did when he first started playing. She was eager to get the other players out one by one, and dodged their attacks with ease. Even though she wasn’t a part of the Central Community team, she was a natural leader taking command of the court. She almost reminded him of his lady, but Marinette was more violent. He tried not to watch her too much, in fear Alya or another spectator might get the wrong idea.

Adrien noticed how none of the Central Community team aimed for Chloe. Marinette must have wanted to take her out personally. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to save her for last. Chloe stuck to the back, she seemed too afraid to step in front of the stray balls to get out herself. 

In the end, as expected, Chloe and Marinette were the last ones standing. At this point Chloe began to panic, in a frenzy, she started picking up the balls on her side of the court and threw them weakly towards her. Adrien could only imagine the fear she was feeling. Marinette was vicious on the court, her bad mood affected her game for the better. Marinette calmy maneuvered her body away from each misguided throw. Once Chloe ran out of ammo, Marinette scooped up a ball from her right. With one fluid motion she propelled the ball forward, hitting Chloe right in the chest.

The Central Community players cheered rushing to the court to congratulate her, Adrien joined them. He didn’t have to go to the fundraiser with Chloe, thank God. And she got to keep her job. 

“I guess you’re my date then.” Adrien’s smile faded. Poor choice of words. They were going as friends. He still needed time to get over his lady. Marinette was a friend, that’s all.

“Yeah,” Marinette said softly. Despite the victory there was sadness in her big blue eyes. “I guess so…”

“This is unfair,” Chloe shouted. “You rigged this, you’re working for her. They knew about the bet.”

“What bet?” One of the Bourgeois Rec players asked. “We’re just as pissed as you.”

“Hey, a deal’s a deal,” Marinette shrugged.

“And I got it all on video,” Alya sang.

Chloe screamed as she stormed out of the gym, Sabrina followed.

“Marinette.” Nino gave her a high five. “I’ve never seen you play like that.”

“I had a very bad day today,” she said with a little more pep in her voice. “Dodgeball is surprisingly therapeutic.”

Adrien smiled as he watch the Marinette talk with her friends. There was a light about her that drew people in. She was kind, smart and had this fierceness to her he’d never expected to see. Marinette was an interesting girl, and he couldn’t wait to get to know her better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back Adrienette. I've missed you.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat confides in Marinette.  
> Marinette is as confused as ever.

The daylight began to give away just as Marinette put the final touches on the second draft her design for the fundraiser. It wasn’t perfect, but she had less than to make it and finish the new uniforms, time wasn’t on her side. All of the sketches for the new uniforms were done. Well, almost one…

She dreaded starting Chat’s uniform. Every time she pick up her pencil to sketch, she had to keep herself from crying. It was for the best, she kept telling herself. Chat would have his freedom and her team wouldn’t suffer. Besides, she could focus on Adrien now, not to make him seem like a consolation prize. Being with Adrien was what she wanted from the start, Chat just added confusion to the mix. With the new information about Le Papillon and Adrien’s invitation, her choice became clear.

But why was she still hurting?

Marinette lounged back in her chair, looking up at the darkening sky. She closed her eyes to try to clear the jumbled thoughts from her head.

_Clink_

Marinette snapped up.

_Clink_

A pebble hit the small metal tea set. Marinette placed her sketchbook on her tea table and walked to the edge of the balcony. A dark figure lobbed another small pebble, this time hitting her in the shoulder.

“Ow.”

“Princess?” figure called out.

Only one person gave her that nickname.

“Chat Noir?” she called down. “What are you doing here?” It was almost eight in the evening, her parents were probably getting ready for bed at the moment. They had to be up early enough to start baking fresh bread and pastries for the bakery. If they caught him outside, they would ask too many questions.

“I wanted to see you.” He shrugged.

He wanted to see her, Marinette, not, Ladybug. It didn’t matter the reason really, maybe they could finally get some normalcy back in their lives. Practice the last couple of days had become unbearable. They’d rally for the team, trying to get their spirits up in preparation for Sectionals, but everyone knew something was off. The didn’t bicker or flirt, they barely even talked outside of the game.

As much as it hurt, she wanted to talk to him again. This way might be unconventional, but maybe it would ease the pain.

Reason and common sense completely left her in the moment. “Hold on.” She hurried out of her trap door, and through her room. She checked to see if her parents were out of the living room, once safe, she retrieved Chat from her doorstep and lead him upstairs to the balcony.

“Stay,” she said, going back down the trapdoor. She grabbed the pair of cat ears he left during his last visit. She didn’t know when she would see him again outside of practice, and returning them as Ladybug would have been highly suspicious.

She returned to the balcony, ears in hand. Chat leaned against the railing staring out in the distance.

“So this is the Princess’ castle,” he smiled, leaning over the railing. “You have a claw-tastic view.”

“Enough with the puns,” she rolled her eyes. “I have something for you.”

“A gift for me?” He placed his hand over his heart. “You shouldn’t have.”

“I didn’t.” She presented his cat ears. “You left them here last weekend. They were soaked from the rain, I did my best to dry them off.”

“Thank you princess.” He smiled. “Keep them, I have several more at home.” He placed his hand over hers, closing her fingertips around the ears. Her breathing hitched with the contact.

“Are you sure?” she asked. He nodded as she pulled her hands back slowly. “What are you doing here Chat Noir?”

“Like I said, I wanted to talk.” he smiled. “I heard you humiliated a certain mayor’s daughter on the court the other day.”

“Word travels fast…” The dodgeball community was relatively small. After Regionals, the Paris forums and online groups tried to figure out Ladybug’s identity. Thanks to the mediocre quality of the video and her mask, no one could crack the case.

“You never told me you played.”

“You never asked,” she said cheekily, placing the cat ears back on her tea table. It was nice to talk with him without the awkwardness again. While it pained her not to reveal her true identity, this would have to do for now.

“Well now I’m asking,” he replied. “You heard my life story, it’s about time I heard yours.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“But i want to.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Paw-lease.”

“Ugh okay,” she groaned. “It’s not much of a story, to be honest. I started working at the rec center cafe about two years ago. Chloe, the mayor’s daughter, who made my life a living hell since we were ten, decided to harass me almost every day at work. I saw that Gym 4 was reserved for dodgeball every day after my shift ended, so I thought I would play to blow off some steam. I wasn’t very good to start, I was very clumsy and uncoordinated. But I’m not one to give up, you know. So I practiced, a lot and it paid off. I dreamed of the day I would knock the shit out of Chloe Bourgeois with a red rubber ball, and believe me it was worth the wait.”

“Well, revenge is a dish best served cold.” Chat chuckled, picking up her sketchbook from her tea table. “What’s this?”

“Nothing.” she tore the book away from him before he could see the designs for the team. “Sorry, it’s just my designs for a dress I’m making. It’s very personal.”

“You bake, you play dodgeball and design clothes, what can’t you do?”

“Apparently, keep ally cat’s away.” She rolled her eyes.

“Well you know what they say about feeding stray cats.” He placed his hand on his chin and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Stop flirting with me,” she laughed. “What about your Ladybug?”

The light faded from Chat’s face. She knew she might have crossed the line. It was a dangerous game she was playing, but she had to know what he really thought. This was the only way to know for sure if she made the right decision.

“Oh,” he muttered. “Well, there’s not much I can tell you, but we decided it would be best for the team if we remained friends.” The sadness in his voice, nearly broke her heart. He was the first to say it that morning, beating her to the punch.

“But you don’t want to, right? Remain friends?”

“Of course not.” He broke away from the balcony rail and laid on her pink lounge chair. “I love her.”

Marinette couldn’t breathe. She could hear her heart banging against her chest. His words made her stomach flip flop the same way being around Adrien did. Whatever this attraction was, whether it was love or something else entirely, she needed to nip it in the bud. Her team mattered. Chat’s overall happiness mattered.

She knew him well enough to know that the decision to stay friends was not just for the team, but for himself too. Being Chat Noir meant he could play freely. Sure there were other teams, other places to play; but Team Miraculous was his home, and in a way it was her home too. She would rather play dodgeball with him side by side as friends with her team, then to date him and lose the team all together.

“How could you love a girl if you don’t even know her name? What if she’s not as amazing under the mask as you think?” Marinette said grimly, trying to hold back her tears. “What if you give up your spot on the team to date for her and break up a month later. How could you possibly know it will work out.”

Chat sat up on the lounge chair and stared at her. “How did you know I’d have to give up my spot on the team to date her?”

“It was implied,” Marinette said, saving her ass. “But you have to be realistic Chat, are you willing to give up everything you worked for, for a girl? How do you even know if she feels the same way?”

Chat frowned. “It doesn’t matter now, does it? We made our choice. It’s hard, seeing her at practice everyday, it’s affecting my game..”

Marinette kneeled down next to him. “If she’s holding you back, it might be best for you move on.” Marinette placed her hands on top of his. They were warm and surprisingly soft to touch. They sat several minutes in silence. Without thinking, she circled her thumb on the back of his hand.

“Why Purr-incess,” he purred, with a half smile on his lips, “are you trying to seduce me?”

“No,” she pulled her hands away. She felt her cheeks grow hot, praying he wouldn’t be able to see them. “In any case, I’m not looking to be your rebound.”

“And I’m not looking for one.” he paused, reaching up to tuck a loose lock hair behind her ears. His fingertips brushed against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. ”I-I should get going.”

“Uh, yeah sure.” she got up, and brushed the dirt off her knees. “Hopefully my parents are still asleep. I’ll walk you back down.”

Marinette held his hand as she lead the way. Her hand fit perfectly in his, sending warmness through her. She tried not to look back, knowing full and well her cheeks were as red as an apple. Quietly the two snuck back down and outside without waking her parents, stopping just outside the front door of the bakery. “Thank you for this.”

“Any time.” She looked down, their fingers were still entwined. Her gaze lifted to his. Even with the black mask, his green eyes pierced through her, making her heart beat so fast she could feel it in her throat.

He leaned close almost as if he was going to kiss her. He bypassed her lips, placing a sweet kiss on her hot cheeks. ”Good night Princess.” He backed up slowly, his eyes locked with hers before he finally turned away.

Marinette watched silently as he disappeared into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat and Ladybug try to work out their differences.  
> While Adrien and Marinette continue to bond.

“ _Cataclysm_ ,” Adrien said silently as he propelled the ball forward. Out of the corner of his eye, another ball came at him from the side. He took a few steps back to avoid it, bumping into Ladybug in the process. She toppled back, landing on her behind. “Sorry, Ladybug.” He held out his hand to help her up.

“It’s fine,” she muttered, getting up without his help. As soon as she stood tall, a ball hit her in the side. “Really?”

The team had been out of sync for a while, Fu thought it would bee good idea to arrange a secret scrimmage game off site with some players around the city. They were annihilating Team Miraculous, partly because Ladybug and Chat Noir could not keep it together.

Adrien tried to get things back to normal, but Ladybug wouldn’t even talk to him. She avoided eye contact whenever she could, and if by chance they were paired up, she’d clammed up. Whatever had gotten into her over the week affected the game. With Sectionals almost two weeks away, they were in no way ready.

Adrien’s glanced to the side to see if she was okay. In the second it took for him to watch Ladybug jog to the bench, out of nowhere he felt the sting of the red ball hitting his shoulder. “Fuck,” He muttered, watching the ball bounce across the court. 

Out of the three games played, the team won at least once, no thanks to them.

Fu called it quits, and like always, Ladybug broke away from the group as fast as she could. Adrien followed, hoping he could get a chance to talk with her. “Ladybug,” he called out, just before she got to the locker room. “We need to talk.”

“Chat,” she stopped and turned, careful not to look him in the eye. “Please, not today.”

“If not today, when M’Lady?” She winced at the nickname, Adrien frowned. “I’m sorry, force of habit.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not,” he shook his head. “We decided to stay friends for the good of the team, but we’re letting them down anyway. If we can’t work out our issues, we won’t make it past the first round of Sectionals.”

Adrien kept his eyes on Ladybug, even though she wouldn’t look at him. Slowly, but surely, his lady was pushing him away.

“Okay, honestly? I know…” she hesitated a bit, carefully choosing her words, “I know you like me more than I like you and I feel terrible okay.”

“But I thought…” They were finally getting closer before they learned about Le Papillon. The held hands for God’s sake. Was he reading the signals completely wrong?

“There’s somebody else,” she interjected.

Everything went numb, he couldn’t move his hands or feet, he could only blink and nod to pretend to listen to Ladybug as she explained her situation. He only half paid attention, something about a guy she liked finally asking her out, her words were drowned out by the sound of his heart breaking.

“Chat say something.” Ladybug snapped him out of his trance. She looked up at him for the first time in days, her blue bell eyes showed it all, worry, fear, sadness. All for him? Marinette was right, he had to move on sooner rather than later. He would always love Ladybug, but most importantly, he wanted to make her happy.

“Listen, Bugaboo.” He placed his hand on her shoulder; her soft skin radiated warmth. “A friend once told me, if something is holding you back, it’s best to move on. I’m glad you moved on, M’lady and I just have a little catching up to do.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ll be _Purr_ -fectly fine, M’lady,” he forced a smile.

Ladybug chuckled. “I know we want things to go back to normal, but could you at least cool it with the cat puns?”

“It’s _paw_ or nothing, LB,”

“Ugh,” she groaned. “All right. We should get going, I’ll see you Monday?”

“Bright and early.” Adrien took a step back and bowed, “You have a wonderful weekend.”

Adrien watched as Ladybug slipped into the locker room. He headed back to grab is bag and walked to his pick up spot, slowly shedded his Chat Noir persona with each step.

Slipped into the car silently, his driver wasn’t much of a talker, making the ride painful as he replayed his conversation with Ladybug over and over again.

She had someone else.

The thought of his Lady in the arms of another made his stomach churn. He usually wasn’t the jealous type, but then again, he had everything he wanted.

Except her.

No, she was not his. She never was and never will be.

Sure, he could try to move on, but he always had difficulty with girls. The only ones he knew were either too stuck up or completely obsessed with his fame. No one really tried to get to know him

Well, almost…

Adrien thought back to last week when he spent time up on Marinette’s balcony venting. Her gentle touches and kind words of encouragement. But that was when she was with Chat Noir, not Adrien. Even so, without the mask, she’d always been kind and never once tried to use him. He knew she was a designer and was rejected by his father’s company, but that only came up once when he asked and she never spoke of it again.

Marinette was a good person, and he genuinely enjoyed being around her. He had to move on, maybe being around her would make it a little easier.

_Adrien: You free for coffee later?_

A reply came almost seconds later.

**Marinette: Adrien? What are you doing up this early? I have to be at the cafe at eight today and I’m already running behind, sorry. :( Raincheck?**

He checked the time, it was already passed 7:30 am, he sighed. 

_Adrien: How about ice cream after work, around six o’clock?_

**Marinette: Sure! Where?**

_Adrien: I know a great place it’s a little far away but, I can pick you up if you’d like._

**Marinette: That’s fine with me, I’ll see you then.**

Adrien smiled to himself. If Ladybug could move on so could he.

*** 

Several hours later, Adrien stopped by the Center to pick Marinette up. He scanned the cafe, it was ten til six, and Chloe was nowhere to be found. Good, she kept up her end of the bet. Marinette waved at him from behind the counter as she finished up her shift.

Adrien sat in at the back of the cafe and when though his phone until Marinette was ready. He sent a quick text to Nino about hanging out soon. His friend had been bailing on him at the last minute lately. Adrien didn’t have many friends outside Team Miraculous. Almost every minute outside off practice and work had been lonely without anybody to keep him company.

“Hey.” Adrien looked up from his phone. Marinette stood in front of his table. “I was running late this morning so I didn’t bring a change of clothes, I hope this is alright?” She gestured to her uniform.

She wore a short sleeved purple polo with the Rec center’s logo and khaki pants. Her hair was piled high in a messy bun. 

“You look great.” he smiled. “The ice cream parlor is just up the road, you’ll be fine.”

“Thanks,” she nodded.

“Let’s go.”

The two got into the back of the car, once buckled in the driver sped off down the street. The two sat in an awkward silence for a minute. Marinette was always a little shy around him at the start, but this was the first time they were really alone. Well, outside of her time with Chat Noir.

“So are you making your own dress for the fundraiser?” He asked. His Chat Noir knowledge gave him a bit of an edge.

“Yes,” her eyes lit up immediately. “I’m building it now actually, hopefully I’ll finish soon. I’m working on a few other things at the moment too.”

“What color?” He asked. “Father would love it if we coordinated.” His suit was already being tailor made, but he could always request a tie and handkerchief in the same color as her dress.

“It’s light pink actually,” she blushed. “

“Pr-Marinette,” he almost let his nickname for her slip, “I am confident enough in my masculinity so don’t you worry. And I must say, I look damn good in pink.”

“Good to know, I can give you a piece of the fabric to match colors when you drop me off.”

“That would be fantastic.”

They pulled up to the parlor. It was a small hole the wall shop that was only open in the spring and summer months. They served common flavors as well as their own unique ones that rotated every couple weeks. He came here every day one summer to try all of the new flavors.

Adrien ordered one of his favorite flavors, strawberry basil, Marinette did the same. They decided to sit outside the shop in the sun. Adrien watched intently as Marinette took her first taste.

“Oh my God, Adrien this is delicious,” she said, taking another lick of her treat. “Where did you find this place?”

Adrien smiled slightly. “My mother used to take me here before…” His voice trailed off, the topic of his mother was a touchy one.

“Oh,” she frowned. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“She’s not dead.” He shook his head. “Or at least I don’t think so. She just left without a word several years ago. The only reason I know she is alive is because she sent divorce papers in the mail almost two years ago, but father refused to sign them. She never followed through after that. It’s been,” he counted his missed birthdays in his head. “Almost ten years now.”

“I had no idea,” she gasped.

“Not many people do,” he muttered. “My father doesn’t talk about it much. Chloe actually knew her too, she was her godmother. Sometimes I think the only reason I’m still friends with her is because she’s one of the only few connections I have to my mother.”

Marinette remained silent, she licked the melted ice cream from the side of the cone for several agonizing. Bringing her here was a mistake, Adrien knew it. “You don’t talk about her often do you?” she finally said.

“No.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “You are the first person I’ve told I think.”

“Don’t you have anybody else to talk to about this?”

“Like I said when I met you, I don’t have many friends. There’s Chloe, Nino and now you.” And Ladybug, but he kept that one to himself. “My father doesn’t express his emotions at all. Growing up with only him became difficult.”

“And lonely,” she whispered. “Adrien.” She reached out and touched his hand. “if you need anyone to talk to, about anything, please don’t hesitate to call me.”

“Thank you,” Adrien smiled. “You know, meeting is the second best thing that’s happened to me all summer.

“What’s number one?”

_Meeting Ladybug_ , he wanted to say.

Instead, he held his finger to his lips, “it’s a secret.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladrien.

Over the next couple weeks, Marinette felt more at ease around Chat Noir during practice. She knew she hurt him when she told him about Adrien. Oddly enough, Chat appeared to be fine the following practice. Her feelings for Chat were still there, but since Adrien demanded more and more of her time, it was easier to let him go. Everything began falling into place, Team Miraculous was better than ever, Chloe was no longer a nuisance and she finally got to spend time with the boy of her dreams.

Who could ask for anything more?

With Sectionals only days away, Marinette stayed longer after practice to work on her throw. Her strength improved greatly since the beginning (thanks to Chat Noir) but she still needed help on her accuracy. With things finally getting back to normal with Chat, she couldn’t ask him. Fu had his own work to do after each practice, but allowed her to stay in the gym until the center opened at eight.

Marinette brought masking tape to make targets against the matted walls and lined up several balls center court. One by one, she scooped up the balls aiming for her targets and pouring her entire body into the throw. She hit every single one of her targets, but something still didn’t feel right. She lined up the balls again, and again, trying practicing from different angles and distances. Still as accurate as her aim was, it didn’t account for moving targets.

The sound of the heavy gym door slamming pulled Marinette out if her trance. She turned around Adrien Ageste stood in the doorway, staring at her.

“Adrien?” she gasped.

“How do you know my name?”

Right, she was Ladybug at the moment. Ladybug didn’t know Adrien. “Uh, you’re a model right? Adrien Agreste, I’ve seen you in magazines You’re kind of famous.”

“Oh, right,” he shrugged.

Good save.

“What are you doing here?” She looked at the clock, it was just a few minutes passed eight, the public had arrived and she should head out soon.

“I…uh…left something in my locker and cutting through here is easier.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, “What are you doing here?”

“Just practicing, I lost track of time.” She picked up the few balls at her feet and returned them to the rack. She reached for another, but Adrien’s hand brush against hers. She felt heat creeping up her cheeks. “Sorry,” she pulled away.

“It’s fine Ladybug.” He placed the ball on the rack.

“How do you know my name?”

“Uh…your video is all over the dodgeball forums online. You’re kind of famous,” he smiled, repeating her words from before.

“I forgot about that.” WIth work, practice and now Adrien, she didn’t have much time to spend on the internet lately. She finally finished all of the new uniforms and was putting the finishing touches on her dress for the fundraiser.

“So what are you working on?” He asked.

“Just perfecting my aim,” she answered. “It’s getting better, but in a real game, I’ll be playing against moving targets. But this is the best I can do when my teammates aren’t around.”

“Practice on me,” he said, a little too quickly. “Come on M-Ladybug,”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not made out of porcelain.” Adrien flashed her a smile that made butterflies dance in her stomach. Marinette pulled her bottom lip under her teeth. He wasn’t dressed for it, wearing a black t-shirt, a white overshirt and a pair of jeans, all of which no doubt cost more than a week pay at the cafe. All the signs were pointing towards a hard no

But she couldn’t say no to that face.

“Fine,” she sighed. “Get on the other end of the court.” She rolled the rack of balls to her side as Adrien got into place. “This is very simple. Just try to dodge the balls. The more you move, the closer it is to a game setting.”

“Got it.” Adrien shuffled back and forth waiting for her to strike.

Sectionals were too close, she couldn’t go easy on him. She took a ball, backed up a few paces before throwing it in his direction. Adrien easily ducked out of the way, not breaking eye contact with her for a second.

“That’s all you got?” He teased.

“You got lucky,” she scoffed, picking up another ball, and hurling it his way with no warning. The ball brushed against his shoulder before he could dodge away.

As the drill went on, Marinette was surprised how comfortable he was on the court. Almost as if he played before. He never mentioned dodgeball during their times together, even after her game with Chloe. But there was something about his movements that seemed familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

After nearly knocking Adrien off his feet ten minutes later, Marinette decided to call it quits. “That’s enough, I should really get going before someone else demands this gym.” She had to be at the cafe at nine anyway for her shift.

“Ah really,” Adrien said, nearly out of breath. “I haven’t had this much fun in ages.”

“Oh, sure you do.”

“I don’t have any friends,” he shrugged. Marinette gasped, covering her mouth. “Sorry, no, that came out wrong. What I meant too say was, I don’t have many friends. I actually only have three… well technically four.”

She could only think of three at the moment. Nino, Chloe, and herself, right? She was the technicality, because they were kind of dating. “Why technically?” she couldn’t help but asked.

“We’re just drifting apart,” he shrugged. “That’s why happens when you get older. People change.”

Oh, he meant Chloe, that still didn’t explain who the mysterious fourth friend was.

“These three other friends?”

“Well, Nino and I met a while back ago and we just clicked. He’s fun to be around. And Marinette, I met her earlier this summer. We didn’t start off on the right foot, but we’re good friends now. She’s the kind of friend who’s just easy to talk to a be around. I didn’t know I needed someone like that until I met her. Nino’s great and all, but we don’t have those types of conversations.”

“So she’s special to you,” Marinette couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah, she is.”

“And your fourth friend?” She couldn’t think of another person in Adrien’s life. Which was a sad thought on it’s own.

Adrien’s smile faded, he glanced down at the floor and began scraping the scuffs off the court with his shoe. “It’s a little complicated. We’re friends, good friends, but I…uhh, we almost had a thing recently, it didn’t work out.”

Marinette’s heart began to beat loud in her ears, she felt almost lightheaded. He never mentioned another girl on their dates. Why would he? That was his business. They weren’t even official. Besides, she didn’t go around listing off her failed relationships when they were together. What irked her wasn’t the fact that he almost dated another girl, what bothered her was the fact he said “recently.”

“Do you still have feeling for her?”

Adrien, looked up, staring into her eyes. “Yes, but it doesn’t matter how I feel.”

Marinette felt a lump in her throat. He never mentioned another girl when they were on their dates. Were they even dates? They never held hands or even kissed for that matter. She just thought he was a gentleman. Had she been reading the signals all wrong?

“Have you talked to your other friends about her?

“Just one,” he said silently. “Sometimes it’s just good to have a friend to be there and listen to you. I didn’t know I needed a friend like that until I found one.”

“That’s nice.” Marinette fought back her tears. She was his friend, that’s all. A comrade, a buddy, an ally, whatever you call it, she was further away from being his girlfriend then she thought. She was so eager to be a part of his world she never stopped to think which role she played in the story of his life.

“I should really get going,” she said. Picking up the last of the balls around her feet. “Thank you for helping me practice.”

“Anytime.” he smiled, heading in towards the locker room. He looked back only once, before slipping through the door.

Marinette pushed the cart back to the supply closet, before collapsing, breaking down into tears.

How could she have been so stupid? She loved him so much, she was fooling herself if she thought he felt the same. He was a model for Gods sake! A famous one no doubt. He could have any girl in Paris if he wanted. But he didn’t. He only wanted one, and it wasn’t her.

Still, he lived a lonely life. Right now he didn’t need a girlfriend, he needed someone to talk to, someone to listen.

Marinette stood up, straightened her back and wiped her tears.

If Adrien said that’s what he needed, then that’s exactly what she’ll be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was hard to get through. I like Ladrien, but the direction I was taking their relationship in the different points in the love square made this interaction difficult to write.  
> Like for Marinettte, she and Adrien are kind of dating (or so she thinks)  
> But for Adrien, Ladybug broke his heart.  
> So you see where the challenges were? Honestly, I could have found a better place for Ladrien somewhere earlier in the story, but here it is.  
> Anywho, from the next chapter on will be Sectionals and some secret identity shenanigans. I'm actually excited to start writing these chapters because I envisioned them early on. Stay tuned.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sectionals!

On the first day of Sectionals Team Miraculous met at the rec center to register and get settled. Adrien had to double and triple check with all of his arrangements for the night. He studied the weekend’s schedule to map out his plan to get from the rec center to the hotel with little complications. Team Miraculous’ first game was at four in Gym Two against Team Darkblade.

There were eight teams competing for the spot at Nationals. The first day of the competition would be the longest, the quarterfinals were from three to seven. Then at eight, the semifinals would begin. If Team Miraculous won their first game, Adrien would have to scramble back to the Hotel for the fundraiser at six, smooze for a couple hours and then hightail it back to the rec center. He reserved a room on the second floor of at Le Grand Paris just in case, to change in and out of his uniform throughout the night.

It was tough, but he could do it. The biggest unknown factor in the equation was Marinette. Obviously she couldn’t know the truth. It would be rude to make her leave early, functions like this lasted until midnight at the latest. He’d have to figure it out in the moment. Right now, he had to focus, dodgeball was his number one priority.

With the team met, they all hung out in the cafe. Lucky for him Marinette wasn’t working today. At least she’d have more time to get ready.

“Fu,” Ladybug stood up clutching a large shopping bag, “I made something for everyone, I’d like to share.”

“Of course Ladybug,” Fu nodded.

“During regional I noticed how our current uniforms don’t really reflect our team’s personality. So, I made these.”

Ladybug handed him a black shirt, their fingers brushed briefly, before she pulled away.

The new shirt was soft to the touch, hand stitched neon green paw prints were sewn on the shoulder. The seams were stitched in the game green color giving the shirt some definition. In the center of the shirt was the team miraculous logo in white letters, outlined in green. She even dotted the i with a tiny green paw.

It was perfect.

“These are amazing,” Queen Bee hugged her shirt against her chest. Her’s was yellow with black stripes, the fabric blended seamlessly, he could hardly tell it wa handmade. Each shirt for the team fit the player brilliantly.

“I had no idea you could sew,” Adrien said, feeling the softness of the fabric beneath his fingertips.

“They’re a lot you don’t know about me chaton.” her tone was playful but the words cut through Adrien.

Even with their brief conversation the other day, with him out of the mask, he couldn’t really get much from her. She’d recognized him from magazines though, something he tried to avoid when joining a team. Maybe he was lucky she didn’t know who he was. Nothing hurt more than being used for his celebrity status.

No, Ladybug wasn’t like that though, she couldn’t be. She seemed genuinely interested in him for once. He might have overshared about his friends, but it wasn’t like she knew them. She made it clear, she wanted nothing to do with Chat Noir outside the court. Either way, she moved on, and so had he.

Adrien changed quickly in the locker room, before returning to the gym to watch the first match.

The first team to win in their bracket was Team Antibug. Like Team Miraculous the had nicknames and wore masks. He couldn’t get a good look at them during the match, one girl however seemed oddly familiar. Her long blond hair was held high in a ponytail. For a second, Adrien caught a glimpse of her icy blue eyes. She wore a black mask with red spots, the exact opposite of Ladybug’s mask, weird.

Team Miraculous was next to to hit the court. They had fifteen minutes of warmup time before it the match began.

“You ready Chaton?” she smirked, sending Adrien’s heart a flutter.

No. The game. He had to focus on the game.

Adrien and Ladybug, stood next to the ref, Nooroo. Across from them was the captain of Team Darkblade, Armand D'Argencourt. Adrien recognized him immediately as his former fencing coach. He had no idea he played dodgeball, he always seemed so refined and proper during his lessons.

Nooroo went over the rules and captains split to their respective sides. Adrien placed his hand on the mat. The whistle blew. He and the team ran towards the center to take the ball, per usual, Ladybug stayed back. But this time it didn’t make her any less of the target. Two Team Darkblade players got ahold of balls and aimed them right for Ladybug.

She was quick though, sliding out of the way of one and catching the other. She used the ball in her hand to, she missed him by a hair. Adrien aimed the ball in his hand at the same player, getting him out.

“Thanks,” Ladybug said.

“I always got your back, M’lady.” He smirked.

Team Miraculous won the first game, with little problems.

Game two was more challenging, Chat and Ladybug were both taken out of the game fairly early. The assault on the pair and Le Papillon’s doing all over it. How many teams did he have in his pocket? And no one was raising any red flags?

Watching in the sidelines was nerve wrecking. D'Argencourt and his team took out members of Team Miraculous left and right, leaving Queen Bee and Paon to fend for the team.

“Trust the team,” Ladybug touched patted his shoulder.

Paon, caught a ball flying above his head with his fingertips, but it was enough to bring Adrien back into the game. He need to get his Lady back into the game. There were three players left on Team Darkblade, including D'Argencourt. Paon tried to catch the next ball coming his way, but it slipped through his fingers before he could get a good grip.

Two against three, never good. Adrien needed to tip the scales. His opponent propelled a ball forward in his direction. He could have easily stepped out of the way, picked up the ball next to him, but instead, he kept his feet planted and caught the ball, bringing Ladybug back in.

She ran on the court with a purpose. Adrien aimed for D'Argencourt, but missed. The power of his throw sent the ball rolling back to their side of the court.

“Chat,” Ladybug picked it up and tossed a ball his way. He caught it just as another ball whizzed passed him from behind. He scanned the opposite side of the court quickly. All the balls were on their side now. He gave Ladybug a sly smirk.

Adrien hurtled his ball in his former coach’s direction. He aimed a little lower, than usual. D'Argencourt bent down to try to catch it, but the ball ricochet off his hand. Ladybug’s ball landed right in her opponent’s chest.

Team Miraculous advanced to the semifinals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Marinette receives an interesting proposition.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette receives an interesting proposition.

Marinette showered quickly in the locker room in preparation for the night. She was meeting Adrien in less than an hour for the fundraiser, and she still had to do her hair and makeup. She insisted on meeting him at the Hotel at six, exactly when the fundraiser began. She hung her dress in her locker as well as fresh clothes to leave the building in. She couldn’t leave as Marinette, too many people knew here here. If they didn’t see her come in, it would raise too many questions.

Instead she opted to leave the building with the Ladybug mask, and peel it off somewhere between the rec center and Le Grand Paris Hotel. Tonight was going to be tricky though, her parents thought she was at Alya’s getting ready for her date. She tried to get Alya to cover for her, but she has been radio silent for the past twenty-four hours. Maybe he parents wouldn’t double check.

With the first game behind her, she had to focus on her plan to slip away from Adrien to get back the the rec center for an hour to play. She couldn’t just leave the fundraiser early, what if she didn’t get to meet Gabriel Agreste yet? Even if she did leave, she knew Adrien would have to stay until the end. She had to go back. She needed to be there for Adrien, as a friend. As much as it pained her. Besides, Chloe would be there and pounce on Adrien the second he was out of her sight. Leaving him in Chloe’s clutches for an hour was better than the alternative.

Marinete finished showering, put on a fresh pair of clothes and headed out of the locker room as Ladybug.

Chat Noir caught her right outside the door. “Hey.” He touched her hand gently. “I don’t have a lot of time, but I wanted to tell you great game today.”

“Thanks,” A blush creep on her cheeks. Being on the court with Chat just felt right. After weeks of being out of sync and slow rebuilding their relationship, they’d finally overcame their troubles to win one hell of a game.

“Why aren’t you in your uniform?”

“Oh,” she looked down at her civilian clothing. Her pink capris didn’t exactly go with her red mask. She needed to make her transformation from Ladybug to Marinette quick before reaching Le Grand Paris Hotel. The further she got from the rec center the safe she’ll be. All of the hardcore dodgeball fans were watching the matches. “I have a few errands to run. I’ll be back before semifinals, I promise.”

“Oh,” he frowned a bit. “Yeah, I should head out too.”

“She nodded, and turned away.

“M’lady,” Chat grasped her hand. A warming sensation spread through her all the way up to her heart.She turned back staring into his gorgeous green eyes as he held her hand. “This has been a great season and no matter what happens today or even tomorrow, I am so happy to be your teammate. I wouldn’t trade playing by your side for anything in the world.”

Marinette couldn’t help herself. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him softly on the cheek. “Thank you chaton.” She turned on her heels and heading straight towards the exit.

Marinette managed to step outside the building without raising any flags from her teammates, opponents and any spectators.

Why did she kiss him? Everything was going so well, and she had to fuck it up again. What was she going to do when she sees him next/ Surely it would throw him off his game again. She silently prayed it wouldn’t affect their next match.

Marinette walked briskly towards the hotel, trying to wrap her head around the situation. She made it about a block down before a hand touched her shoulder.

“Ladybug.” The voice was an unfamiliar one, deep and intimidating.

Marinette froze, she’d been followed from the center. She slowly turned her head to face the figure behind her. A man wearing a trenchcoat, hat and light purple mask and towered over her. The mask and out of season attire, made it too easy for Marinette to identity him.

Le Papillon.

“What do you want from me?”

“I’m not going to hurt you if that’s what you’re thinking.” he dropped his hand from her shoulder. “I’m sure Coach Fu has warned you against me?” She nodded. “Shame. Walk with me.” Le Papillon took a few steps forward, stopped and look back. “Are you coming.”

Marinette’s legs moved involuntarily, her fear taking over. This was a man with deep pockets, unlimited resources and a ten year grudge. She didn’t personally have any dirty laundry or anything to lose at this point in her life, but he could easily destroy her family’s business if he so pleased.

“What do you want Papillon,” she spat.

“I have a proposition for you,” he said calmly. “I will pay you two thousand euros to throw the next match.”

“What?”

No way could she do that to her team. Two thousand euros was a lot of money, more than she saved this entire summer, but no amount of money was worth betraying her team’s trust.

“Trust me when I say, I have not looked into your background yet and nor do I want to ruin the life of a child such as yourself. All I want is Fu’s and Team Miraculous’ reputation destroyed. And to do that, they must lose Sectionals.”

“And what if I refuse?”

“Believe me, I have a contingency plan on top of my contingency plan.” With his mask, Marinette couldn’t gauge his emotions. Le Papillon’s voice remained unwavering. “You are just a small, insignificant player in this game. If you’re lucky, there could be a spot for you at Nationals with one of my teams.”

Everything began clicking into place slowly. Coach Fu’s failed recruitments over the years; the influence Le Papillon had on almost every team in Paris. He wasn’t just trying to break Team Miraculous, he was trying to get a team to Nationals. But his efforts were failing, Fu managed to put together a team that defeated him at every turn, paving their way to Nationals.

“You’re lying,” Marinette straightened her back, putting more confidence in her voice. you wouldn’t come to me if I wasn’t your last resort. You’re just a sad scared old man.”

Le Papillon stopped, his mouth formed a hard line. “You’re right about one thing, I was lying. Your role is much bigger than it should be. You and Chat Noir will be the downfall of Team Miraculous one way or another.”

“Don’t you touch him,” she gritted through her teeth.

“Believe when I say, I have no intention of hurting the boy.”

“Well you’ve already done that.” Without his influence, she and Chat would have figured something out. Maybe they could have met outside of the masks and finally figure out what to do with their unresolved feelings.

“What? Poor Fu’s afraid of repeating past mistakes. You haven’t fallen in love with him yet have you?”

Marinette remained silent. Love, no that wasn’t the word to describe her feelings for Chat. Not love, but something was there beyond friendship.

Before she could answer, Le Papillon, turned, waking in the opposite direction. “Never forget,” he called out. “History has a way of repeating itself, Ladybug.”

Marinette stood still for second before regaining her composure. No, she could not let this man win. He would not scare her into destroying everything she’s worked so hard for. She and her team have to fight to make sure this man who has hurt so many, doesn’t get what he wants.

No, everything would be all right. Now she had to focus on her night with Adrien. She took a deep breath, stepped forward. Her blood froze as she finally payed attention to her surroundings.

Panic rose as Marinette realize she stood several feet away from the entrance of Le Grand Paris Hotel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnn
> 
> Hands down this was my favorite chapter to write so far. Bits and pieces of Le Papillon's plans are slowly coming together.
> 
> Next up: The fundraiser!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fundraiser!

Marinette was late, Adrien check his phone for the tenth time as he waited in the lobby for her arrival. He knew he should have sent his car to pick her up, but she was pretty insistent about meeting him at the hotel before the event. With all of the preparations for semifinals, one less thing to worry about the better.

He had less than two hours to socialize before running back up to his hotel room to change for semifinals. Adrien planned on leaving Marinette alone with some of the biggest names in fashion, surely that would make up for his disappearance. It was only an hour, less than that if he hurried back.

“Adrien,” a soft voice said from behind. He turned around.

A vision of perfection stood before him.

Marinette’s strapless pink dress was stunning. It had a sweetheart neckline, a small pendent rested above her cleavage. The charm hanging from the change was a silver yin and yang symbol. A silver belt made of sequins wrapped around her below the bust. The tulle skirt flared out just above her knees.

Her dark hair fell down to her shoulders, her bangs framing her small face. A silver headband pulled back the rest of her hair. For the first time since he met her, Marinette wore make up. The silvery eyeshadow brought out her blue eyes. Her plump pink lips looked absolutely kissable.

“Sorry I’m late. I had…um, nevermind it isn’t important” She bit down on her bottom lip.

Shit.

He really wanted to kiss her now, but with the public watching his every move, he couldn’t bring himself to. Marinette was far too sweet for that kind of attention. Her spat with Chloe was just the tip of the iceberg. When the public finds out about her, she would be harassed to no end by his “fans.” Right now he had to present Marinette as a friend, and maybe soon they could figure out the nature of their relationship.

“Adrien?”

“Uh.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry about that. You look stunning.” He couldn’t help but stare. His eyes following the long silver chain lower and lower… his head snapped up. “You made your dress yourself?”

“I did.” She twirled a bit, her skirt fluttered with the motion. “I had the idea in my head for a while, but I finally got it down on paper when you invited me.”

“You are so talented.”

“Thank you,” A blush crept on her already pink cheeks. She was too adorable. Adrien felt his heart swell, he wanted nothing more than to make her happy tonight, even if he was disappearing for an hour.

“You ready to go inside?” he offered his arm, she took it with a smile.

They walked into the ballroom. The room was already filled with the Paris elite. With her dress, she blended in perfectly with so socialites. As they made their way through the fundraiser, Adrien was stopped by his father’s co-workers and. Marinette was the pleasantest companion, but several people asked where Chloe was tonight. 

The fundraiser was to raise funds to expand the children’s wing at the hospital. A silent auction took place on the other side of the ballroom. Adrien and Marinette made their way to the tables to see what was up for auction. Most of the items were donated by business and friends of the mayor. Marinette stopped at a table to examine an item.

“See anything you like?”

“Adrien no, the starting bid for some of these items are close to five hundred euros.”

“It’s for a good cause.” Adrien check to see what she was looking at. The item was a private candlelight dinner on of the Eiffel Tower. Marinette would love that, she always said that was her favorite spot in Paris. Adrien placed his bid when she wasn’t looking. If he won, it would be a nice surprise for her.

Adrien stepped back to Marinette’s side as she moved on to look at the next item. “Would you like a drink?” he said as a waiter passed with a tray of champagne. He took one glass, knowing he wasn’t planning on drinking tonight.

“No thank you,” she shook her head. “I am a little hungry though.”

“Ii don’t think there’s dinner, but there are hor d'oeuvres coming around.” Adrien placed his full glass of champagne back on the waiter’s tray.

“You know my friend Alya right?” She said. Adrien nodded. “Her mom is the head chef here, her food is incredible.”

“I had no idea, Chef Césaire was Alya’s mom. She’s catered event here for years.”

“The staff brings home leftovers, and her mom always makes me a plate.” A waiter stopped with the hor d'oeuvres. Marinette took a bit of the tiney cracker with caviar, her eyes rolled back in pleasure. “I could never afford to eat like this,” she said after swallowing the last bite.

Adrien had already eaten his cracker, not taking the time to savor the flavor. He knew caviar was expensive, but he’s had it so much in his lifetime, he never really appreciate it. Seeing Marinette experience things for the first time was fascinating. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she tried the other hor d'oeuvres that came their way.

“I’m sorry,” she dabbed the corner of her lips with a napkin. “I haven’t eaten all day. I hope I’m not embarrassing you.”

Adrien stepped closer, filling in the space between them. Marinette smelled like vanilla and lavender. He couldn’t resist brushing back a lock of hair, his finger grazing her shoulder gently. “You can never embarrass me, Pr-Marinette.” He almost called her Princess. His Chat Noir was showing. He was never this flirty without the mask, but something in Marinette brought out the best of him.

“Adrien,” a stern voice said from behind. Marinette stepped away, her blue eyes grew wide.

“Father,” he said coolly as he turned around. His father’s gaze was locked on Marinette. He knew the look, he studied her to make sure she fit in with his crowd. “I would like to introduce you to my friend. Marinette Dupain Cheng.”

“It’s very nice to meet you Monsieur Agreste.” She held out her hand, his father slowly shook it. “It’s an honor really it is.”

“I hear you are an aspiring fashion designer. Did you make your dress yourself?”

Adrien never talked to his father about Marinette. How could he possibly know that. He glanced over at Marinette who was practically bursting with excitement.

“I did,” she smiled.

“I had a chance to look at your portfolio the other day. While overall you show much talent, the other applicants had at least one year of university under their belts with stunning recommendations. Will you be attending this fall?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“Apply again in the spring. But don’t think your relationship with my son will influence my decision or get you far in this industry.”

“I don’t plan on exploiting my friendship with Adrien for personal gain.” She said, emphasizing the word friendship. “If anything he’s using me for the baked goods.” She laughed.

Gabriel shot a hard glance at Adrien. Now he’d have to explain the extra goodies Marinette had been feeding him. With the exercise he get playing dodgeball, he kept in shape for his modeling. But his father didn’t like him eating sweets regardless of how much exercise he got in a day. 

“Adrien, we’ll catch up later, it was a pleasure to meet you Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng.”

“You too.” she kept a smile on her face as she watched him move on to speak with his associates. “Holy shit,” she whispered. “That was Gabriel Agreste.”

“I know.”

“I met my idol Gabriel Agreste.”

“I know.”

“I mean, I know he’s your father and everything and I’ll go back to disliking him on a moral level later, but that was Gabriel fucking Agreste.”

“He was surprisingly pleasant,” Adrien muttered. “He knew a little too much about you. I didn’t even tell him you were my date.”

“Chloe probably ran to her daddy after our bet complaining. And the mayor is good friends with your father.”

“I wouldn’t call them friends, but true. He must have heard about you from Chloe.”

The two mingled with the rest of the guest for the next hour. Adrien watched Marinette in amazement as she lit up when she met other designers. They danced a bit to the gentle swing music playing in the background. Adrien made an effort to check to see if he was outbid on the candlelit dinner. He made one final bid before bidding closed for that item.

He returned to Marinette with a small plate of food. He had minutes before he had to leave. He needed to introduce her to someone again soon so he could slip away. “Thank you so much for inviting me,” she said taking another bite of her food.

“Thank you for coming, if it wasn’t for you I’d be suck with Chloe all night.”

“Where is she anyway?” Marinette looked around. “It’s unlike her to not make her presence known.”

“Not sure, he shrugged.

“Adrien,” a voice called out to him. Adrien turned around, a middle aged woman with bright red hair made her way towards the couple. Perfect timing. “I heard you finally brought a date to one of these functions and I just had to meet her.” She held out her hand. “Donna Durand, Vice President of accessories at Gabriel’s.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Marinette.”

“Well aren’t you just the sweetest thing. I can see how this one is crazy about you.” he pointed to Adrien.

Before Adrien could answer, Marinette cut in. “Oh no, we’re not dating. We’re friends,” She said quickly. “Just friends.”

A pit sank in his stomach. He’d been introducing her as his friend all night, but hearing it from her lips felt…off. Was he reading everything wrong? Did he take too long before making his move?

The time they spent with each other over the weeks weren’t dates in the romantic sense, but it meant something to her right? It sure as hell meant something to him. If she only saw him as a friend, asking her out on a date would only complicate things.

Maybe bidding on the candlelit dinner was a bad idea.

The alarm on his phone rang. Shit. He had to get changed and head back to the rec center. “Marinette,” he pressed his hand to the small of her back. “Will you excuse me for a few, have to go to take this phone call?”

“Of course,” she said.

“I will keep her company,” Donna took Marinette’s hand, pulling her towards the bar. “Let’s get something to drink.”

Marinette looked back once before disappearing into the crowd. Donna could talk for an hour straight about designing. She was the perfect companion for Marinette while Adrien disappeared for an hour. She’d be fine. He’d apologize profusely when he got back, but now he had to prepare for semifinals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder where Chloe is...


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Miraculous vs. Team Antibug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay. I was pretty much out of commissions during the holiday season. But I'm back on track!   
> Enjoy!

This was a nightmare. Marinette had less than twenty minutes to get to the rec center for semifinals. She planned to make her escape ten minutes ago, but Donna would not stop talking. All Marinette could do was smile and listen to her drone on and on about her latest collection of hats. She didn’t want to be rude, this woman had influence in the fashion industry. One wrong comment and she could kiss her perspective internship and career goodbye.

There was no sign of Adrien to rescue her either, whatever the phone call was, it had to be important. No. Marinette had to get out of this on her own.

The bartender refreshed Donna’s drink. “Are you sure you don’t want anything to drink hun?” Donna asked.

A lightbulb popped over Marinette’s head.

“Yes, I’ll have a Pinot Grigio,” she said to the bartender. She watched as the man poured her drink and slid the glass in her direction. She reached for the stem and knocked over the wine onto her lap. “Oh no! I can be such a clutz sometimes.”

“Let me grab some more napkins.”

“No,” she said, a little too quickly. “I’ll get a damp cloth from the kitchen staff, I know the fabric and it needs to be treated before it dries. Thank you so much, it was nice talking to you.” Without letting Donna get in another word, Marinette bolted.

Without a second thought she headed straight to the coat check where she dropped off her gym bag. She changed quickly in the bathroom, the wine stain on her new dress was a travesty, but she had less than fifteen minutes to get to the rec center before the game.

Once changed, she booked it to the rec center as fast as she could. It was already pretty late, and the sidewalks were relatively clear, she slipped on her mask the final leg of her journey.

Volpino intercepted her coming through the front door.

“Where were you?” Volpino asked.

“Like I said, I had errands to run.”

He inspected her closely. “Your lipstick is smudged.” He pointed to the corner of her mouth. Marinette tried wiping the remaining lipstick from her lips with the back of her hand. Volpino shook his head. “Listen, I won’t tell Fu, but you and Chat Noir need to stop screwing around and get your head in the game.

“We are not screwing around, I haven’t even seen him since quarterfinals.”

“Sure,” he crossed his arms over his check. “You two just happen to disappear without a word, and conveniently show up within five minutes of each other…”

“Purely a coincidence,” she shrugged.

“Whatever you say, but please don’t let your relationship drama ruin our chance at Nationals.”

The two made it to the court for the rest of warm ups. Everyone greeted her with a sly smile, Marinette felt her cheeks go red. She didn’t have time to nip this rumor in the bud, maybe she’ll set the record straight after Sectionals. Right now she had to focus on one thing and one thing only.

Defeating team Antibug.

Team Antibug seemed like a carbon copy of Team Miraculous. Everyone was masked and had a nickname. The ones who stood out most were The Antibug and L'Imposteur. L’Imposteur wore almost an identical mask to Chat Noir’s they even had the same messy blond hair, the similarities were astounding. Antibug on the other hand was the exact opposite of Ladybug. She wore a black mask with red spots. Her blond hair was pulled back high into a ponytail.

Antibug’s eyes locked with Marinette’s as the referee blew their whistle. Ladybug, Chat and Antibug met with the ref, Trixx to go over the rules. Antibug’s glare never left Marinette’s, almost as if she had it out her her.

The team took to the end of the court, placing their fingers on the wall, waiting for the whistle to blow.

Antibug grabbed two balls right off the bat, she tossed one aside to her teammate and threw the other one full force at Marinette. While the throw was powerful, her aim was off. Marinette slid to the right to avoid the hit, but a second ball came out of the blue, hitting her on the shoulder.

“Shit,” she muttered as he stepped to the sidelines. Marinette studied the other team’s attack patterns. When Antibug chose her targets, she would aim low and then from out of nowhere, Vanisher would appear to get the player out. L'Imposteur and Chat Noir went head to head, L'Imposteur, true to his name, copied Chat’s style to the T. He studied his attack patterns as well. Like always, Chat was most vulnerable after getting another player out. L'Imposteur used that to his advantage to hurl a the ball directly at his midsection.

Marinette managed to get back in thanks to a catch from Paon, but the second she stepped back on the court, Antibug was on the attack. Dodging her throws, Marinette didn’t notice Vanisher’s ball aimed straight for her hip.

“Damn,” she clinched her fist tight. It wasn’t looking good. Team Antibug wasn’t powerful, but they were smart. If Team Miraculous didn’t step up their game, they could kiss Finals goodbye.

Marinette stood next to Chat on the sidelines, arms folded across her chest. She stared intensely at the remaining players in the game.

“What’s bugging you?” Chat whispered.

“It’s not the time for puns, Chat,” she muttered.

“It’s always the time for puns,” he winked.

“I don’t get it,” she said. “They’re just barely getting us out. With the exception of Antibug, all of their throws are weak. If her aim gets better we’re screwed.”

“You know, she kind of reminds me of you,” he smirked. “She has this fierce determination about her, it’s scary, but you can’t take your eyes off her.”

“Chat,” she hit his arm.

“Jealous?”

“No.” She turned her attention back to the game. 

Antibug struck Paon’s foot, taking him out and leaving only Volpino left against Antibug and Vanisher. Antibug threw the red rubber ball at Volpino ’s feet, he jumped to avoid it, but Vanisher’s attack quickly followed, hitting him right in the gut.

“Shit,” Marinette muttered. Adrien was probably wondering where she went by now. She couldn’t check her phone and send a message either. If they won the next one, they would have to play a third game and Adrien would be waiting even longer. She had to get back to him soon.

There was another option. Marinette cursed at herself for even thinking of Le Papillon’s offer. No, she would not give into his scare tactics. Her team came first. Continuing the legacy of Team Miraculous in the dodgeball community was her number one priority.

“Language, M’lday,” Chat said. “It’s only the first game, we’re still in this. Go give the team the pep talk they need and go kick some ass.”

“Right,” she nodded. “Everyone gather around.” she waved the rest of the team over. “Listen, we played a good game out there. While we do have stronger players and better accuracy, they studied us and our patterns. We’re going to run into this a lot now that we’re this far into the Sectionals. But we can use this to our advantage. If we change up our routine we can throw them off guard and pick them off one by one. For example, Chat stay back when the whistle blows and focus more on dodging and catching. You’re such a close range player that I bet L'Imposteur can’t get to you from that far.”

“Got it,” he nodded.

“And everyone, watch out for Vanisher. She’s well named, she vanishes until right before she strikes. Good luck everyone, don’t forget we’re still in this.”

The whistle blew to signal the next game. Everyone took their places at the back on the court. The whistle blew again.

Marinette sprinted to the front line, her eyes locked with Anitbug for a brief second before grabbing a ball and stepping back. Her first target was Vanisher, who cleverly hung out behind Antibug. Marinette ran to the faked right, Anitbug fell for it, clearing a path right to Vanisher. She hit her right in the stomach.

The ball rolled back to Marinette, she scooped it it and smirked at Antibug before hurling it right into her stomach.

*** 

With two wins in a row under their belt, Team Miraculous advanced to the finals. Marinette couldn’t stick around to celebrate, she raced to the locker room to check her phone and wash up.

“Ladybug,” a voice called from behind. Marinette glanced behind her shoulder. Antibug was running towards her, waving and smiling. “Ladybug, great game.”

“Thanks,” she continued to walk to to the locker room, Antibug followed.

“I never thought dodgeball could be this fun, even if we lost it was still a great match.”

“You sound like this is your first tournament.”

“It is technically, I got recruited after Regionals, when a couple players dropped. I joined with Vanisher so I could get better and challenge this annoying girl to a rematch. I’ve got a long way to go, if I can top you I’m sure I can beat her. You are amazing, I can understand why Le Papillon wants you out of the running.”

Marinette froze. “Le Papillon?”

“Shit,” she covered her mouth. “Forget I said that.”

Marinette took Antibug’s hand and dragged her to the locker room. Once in the clear, she loose her grip. “Do you know who Le Papillon is?”

“Yes and no,” Antibug said. “Le Papillon put the team together and showed up to the few practices, but he can’t officially be our coach since he’s coaching another team. He’s like a sponsor. He’s paying for everything and he’s determined to take Team Miraculous down. No one knows his identity since he wears a mask, he gives the team so much no one ever asks.” 

“Is that all you know?”

“It is, I wish I could be more help.” Antibug looked up at the clock on the wall. “I need to get going. I have one more thing to do tonight. It was great meeting you, I hope we could play together in the future.” Antibug wrapped her arms around Marinette.

“Yeah, same here,” Marinette peeled the girl off her. “Goodbye.”

Once Antibug was out of sight, Marinette opened her locker and grabbed her phone. She had a lot of apologizing to do, hopefully Adrien would understand. She glanced down at the phone.

_No new messages._


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat runs into a sad Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, thank you all so much for being patient.

Adrien didn’t bother taking off his Chat Noir mask and ears as he entered Le Grand Paris Hotel. Marinette had to be wondering where he was by now, but knowing Donna, she probably met all the designers at the fundraiser. He’ll make it up to her soon. He snuck through the front door with his hoodie cover his face so no one from the fundraiser would recognize him. His suit hung in the closet of the room he booked, along with his cell phone in his jacket pocket.

Before he could reach the elevator, he spotted her. Marinette slumped against the wall of the staircase, hiding behind the flower. Her cell phone held tight next to her heart.

“Marinette?” He said softly, as he approached.

“Adrien?” She perked up, but the second she saw his masked clad face she frowned. Her eyes were swollen and red, she’d been crying. “Oh Chat Noir.” Damn, he should have waited and changed back before approaching her. It was too late now.

“What’s wrong, Princess?”

“It’s nothing.” She tried to wiped her tears, but they kept flowing. Adrien pulled a tissue from the pocket of his hoodie and handed it to Marinette. He glanced around the lobby, people were beginning to stare.

“Follow me,” he took her hand and gently lead her to the elevator.

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere private.”

She didn’t argue, Adrien held her close, to shield her tearstained face from public. When they finally reached the door, used his keycard to open his room.

“You have a room here?”

“Only for tonight.” Adrien turned on the lights. “Please make yourself at home. There are clean towels in the bathroom. Are you hungry? I’ll order room service.”

“You really don’t have to do all this,” she muttered.

“But I want to, Princess. Sit,” he gestured to the bed. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Marinette nodded and sat at the edge of the bed. “It’s just, I think I hurt one of my friends tonight. I had to leave for a bit during this fundraiser, and when I came back he was nowhere to be found. He didn’t even look for me, no calls, no messages. I deserve it, I guess for leaving without telling him.”

Shit. 

Since he left for the match, he couldn’t reach out. He thought Donna and all of the industry professionals would distract her for an hour. Damn was he wrong. Now he looked like the jackass.

“I’m sure your friend had a good reason.”

“I’m sure he did.” She sniffled. “Today’s just be extremely stressful and now I know Adrien doesn’t like me in that way and even though I’m trying to get over him it’s just too hard.”

“Princess,” Adrien cupped her cheek and wiped a tear from her eye. “Adrien would be a fool not to like you.”

“Chat…”

“No I’m serious, You’re smart, kind and funny. Not to mention, very beautiful.”

Marinette leaned forward and brushed her lips against his gently. The kiss surprised Adrien, in a good way. He wanted to draw her in closer, but she pulled away before he could. “Sorry,” she touched her lips. “I don’t know what came over me.”

A fire ignited in Adrien, he pulled Marinette in for another kiss, desperate, more passionate than before. Their tongues danced, their hands explored. Every drop of feelings he felt for her came rushing out in one long kiss. This was right. She was real and right here. 

Perfect.

“Do you want me to take off the mask?” He muttered against her collarbone.

“No!” she exclaimed. “I can’t know. I can’t. Just–” She kissed him again, dragging him back down back into the bed.

*** 

Marinette woke up in an unfamiliar room, panicked. It took her seconds to realize she was still in Le Grand Paris Hotel, in Chat’s room. She checked under the covers. Clothes on. That was a good thing. She didn’t sleep with Chat.

She glanced over at the clock on the dresser. Five in the morning. No matter how late she was up, her body naturally gets up that early thanks to living in a bakery and dodgeball practice. On the floor, Chat slept with his face down. His mask set on the floor next to him. He played a dangerous game, with his identity. 

Marinette carefully got up and went to the bathroom. Her hair was a complete mess and makeup smudged to nothingness. Her neck and collarbone was covered in hickeys and bite marks from the night before. She was going to need a whole lot of cover up and powder if she wanted to get through the match without Chat discovering her identity.

Hooking up with Chat was a mistake. With the fundraiser fiasco, and her encounter with Le Papillon, she was not in a good place emotionally. She used Chat to make herself feel better. It could never happen again.

Marinette picked up her shoes and purse and hurried out of his room. The second the door slammed behind her, she realized she forgot to leave a note. Shit. The door was locked. She didn’t want to wake him. She decided to leave a note at the front desk when she picks up her duffle bag.

She quietly made her way to the front desk still in her dress from last night and looking an absolute fright. This was the walk of shame.

She reached the concierge “Hi, I left a red duffle bag back here last night during the fundraiser.”

“Yes, it’s right back here, I’ll grab it for you.” The concierge said.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” a nasty voice spat.

Marinette sighed and turned around. “Hello Chloe. We missed you last night.”

The blonde crossed her arms over her chest. “Some of us had more important events to attend. Looks like you had a good time.”

“Please Chloe, drop it. I just crashed her for the night with a friend. Not Adrien.”

“Of course Adrien wouldn’t spend the night with the likes of you.”

The concierge returned with the bag. “Here’s your duffle bag miss.”

“Thanks.” Marinette took her bag and pushed passed Chloe.

“Wait,” Chloe grabbed her arm. “I want a rematch.”

“A what?”

“A rematch with you. Dodgeball.”

“You have nothing I want, goodbye.”

“Like I would want something you have either.” She scoffed. “This is about revenge. Organize another match. I’ll be ready for you.”

“Fine,” Marinette rolled her eyes. “I’ll put something together. Please I need to get home and change.”

“See you on the court.”

Marinette yanked her arm from Chloe’s grasp and stormed out of the building. She had little more fire in her this morning, thanks to Chloe. Hopefully she could hold onto it until the Finals. Underneath all that fury, for some odd reason, she felt as if she had forgotten something important.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Miraculous vs. Team Akuma.

Marinette surveyed the gymnasium. The seats were packed, hundreds of people from all over came to watch the final match. This was it, one more win and Team Miraculous would make it back to Nationals and reclaim their former glory.

Ten minutes to the match and Chat Noir was nowhere in sight. No one could get in touch with him. Marinette felt partially to blame. If they hadn’t been up all night, he would be here and ready to play. She considered running back to the hotel and banging on his door, but she couldn’t remember the room number for the life of her. Nor could she call the front desk asking where Chat Noir’s room is. If only she’d let him take off his mask.

No, identities could not be revealed, especially if Le Papillon might know hers. They have to play it safe for now. But if Chat didn’t show up soon, they’d have to forfeit. The team didn’t have alternates.

Chat had to show.

“Ladybug.” Fu touched her shoulder. “You should stretch.”

“But Chat Noir–”

“He’ll be here, don’t worry. Right now you need to get in the right headspace. This is a five match game. It will not only drain you physically, but mentally a well. Stay focused. Let me worry about Chat Noir.”

“Thanks Coach Fu.” Marinette headed to the court to warm up. Fu was right, she had to focus, let all the problems of the outside world just melt away.

She and the rest of the team stretched, and observed their opponents. Team Akuma. Like before, they wore masks and had codenames. Chronogirl, Le Dessinateur, Gamer, Pharaoh, Bubbler and Lady Wifi. They had to be one of Le Papillon’s teams. The man had more a lot of influence in the dodgeball community, he had to be stopped.

The gym doors opened. Marinette’s head snapped in that direction, praying it was Chat. A man in a dark purple suit and purple mask walked in.

Le Papillon.

He walked towards Team Akuma, they all huddled around him. Shit. Antibug said Le Papillon coached his own team. They must have been Le Papillon’s secret weapon.

The door opened again. Chai Noir sprinted in towards the team. “I am so sorry, I overslept.”

The whistle blew, the referee waved the captains over. Marinette sighed it was now or never.

“It’s okay, you’re here. That’s what matters,” she whispered. She and Chat walked over to the ref, next to him stood the captain of Team Akuma, Bubbler.

“Hello, my name is Nooroo,” the ref said “and welcome to the final round of Sectionals. For this game you will be playing the best three out of five. Please hydrate. Now for the rules. No headshots, that will be an automatic out. Stay behind the attack line, you get one warning. Two foot faults and you’re out. You can only hold the ball for ten seconds before attacking. After that will will be considered a dead ball. If a ball is caught, the attacker is out and the opposing team can bring an out teammate back in. And lastly, and have fun. Now shake hands and let’s play some dodgeball.”

Marinette and the Bubbler shook hands.

Game on.

The first two games were brutal. Team Akuma did not mess around. Their throws were lighting fast and practically uncatchable. Chat Noir seemed sluggish, he barely stayed in the last game. To top it off Nooroo made some questionable calls. Miraculously they won the second game, if they kept up the momentum, they could win this thing.

“Chat Noir,” Marinette approached him after game two.

“I’m fine, I just overslept. Late night.”

“Chat we need you here, right now. Whatever happened last night, put it on the backburner.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, just stay focused.” She patted his shoulder.

The two hurried to the wall to start game number three. Two more wins and they were heading to Nationals. Marinette’s hand touched the padding on the back wall. She turned her head over to Chat and smiled.

Chat’s face fell flat. Before she could say anything the whistle blew. She stayed back as normal, but Chat didn’t move. A ball flew in his direction, but he wasn’t paying attention. It grazed his shoulder.

Shit.

Losing Chat this early in a game was not good. Someone had to catch a ball soon to get him back in. Marinette scooped up the ball and headed to the front lines. Chronogirl hurtled a ball towards her, she blocked it with the ball in her hands and threw in right in Chronogirl’s stomach. Queen Bee attempted to catch a ball, but the force of the throw made it bounce out of her hands.

One by one Team Akuma picked off her teammates until Ladybug was the last one standing. Marinette cursed to herself. She hated being the last one standing where there were the other team had half of their players on the court. If Team Miraculous wanted win, Marinette had to catch a ball.

Team Akuma had four balls on their side, quickest way to get her out was to attack in quick succession. Le Papillon must had studied the team enough to know her weak points. Bubbler, Lady Wifi and Le Dessinateur, scooped up their balls in unison and propelled them towards Marinette seconds apart. She jumped to avoid the ball from below. The next ball nearly hit her hip on the way down. The last ball, luckily, whizzed past her shoulder a good inch away from touching her.

The whistle blew.

“Game over.”Nooroo called. “Team Akuma wins.”

Marinette ran to the ref. “The ball didn’t touch me.”

“I know what I saw.”

“I know what I felt.”

“Young woman, if you keep this up, I will have to bench you. And you don’t have any alternates so your team would have to forfeit.”

Marinette remained silent. This was complete and utter bullshit, but she couldn’t fight with the ref, not at finals. “Fine.”

Marinette returned to the bench for water. “Nice work out there,” Fu said.

“I wasn’t hit.”

“I know,” Fu nodded. He glanced in Le Papillon’s direction. “I didn’t think he would sink so low.”

“You think Le Papillon paid off the ref?”

“Or Blackmail. People with power would do anything to get what they want.”

“He offered me two thousand Euros to throw the match last night. I said no, obviously, but why is he wasting so much money and time on this. It’s just dodgeball.”

“Some people do crazy things for revenge. But I do think it’s more than just destroying our reputation. We made it this far, regardless of his tactics, Team Miraculous will live on. He has another agenda if he’s been coaching his own team.”

The whistle blew.

“I should go.” Marinette ran to the wall to get into position. Chat walked slowly, in a daze. Whatever

“Chat you okay?”

“Fine,” he muttered, turning his attention back to the court.

The whistle blew, Chat sprinted to the center and grabbed a ball. Like lightening her threw his Cataclysm at Gamer, almost knocking him back with the powerful blow. He stepped aside to dodge a ball. Marinette picked the dead ball and threw it at Lady Wifi, from where Marinette stood it brushed her calf, but Nooroo didn’t call it. Lady Wifi stood confused that the whistle didn’t blow. Chat took the opportunity to, knock her out for good with a blow to the stomach. 

“Glad to see you’re back in action.”

Chat didn’t respond with a quip. He picked up a ball that knocked out Jade Turtle and used it to take Chronogirl out of the game.

Chat went from the next ball to attack Bubbler. The whistle blew. “Foot fault, Chat Noir..”

As the game went on the rest of team Miraculous was slowing getting out. It was three on two now. They’ve been in stickier situations before. But Chat’s strange behavior could cost them the match.

“Chat,” Marinette dodged a ball from Bubbler, “if we want to win this, we have to do this together.”

Chat nodded. “The double whammy?”

She scooped up the ball. “The double whammy.”

Chat picked up a ball from behind him. Marinette aimed the ball just high enough for Pharaoh to try to catch it. As his arms went up, Chat threw his ball right into Pharaoh’s stomach.

“Pound it,” the two said in unison bumping fist quickly. Somethings never change.

With only Bubbler and Le Dessinateur left in play, they could finally turn it around.

Le Dessinateur aimed his ball right at Marinette’s center. Marinette couldn’t react fast enough, it hit her stomach. She wrapped her arms around the ball to try to catch it, but the ball bounced to the floor.

At the same time. Chat Noir ran towards the front line to pick up a ball. He threw it right at Bubbler and hit his shoulder.

The whistle blew.

“Foot fault Chat Noir. Team Akuma wins.”

Marinette glanced down at Chat’s feet. He was clearly over the attack line. No matter how dirty Le Papillon played, this was not his doing.

“Shit,” Chat fell to his knees. “We were so close. It’s all my fault.”

“Chat,” Marinette placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “Don’t beat yourself up. We’ve made it this far in our first year. Team Miraculous will live on. Now stand up. Don’t let them see your weakness.”

Chat stood up and straightened his back. Marinette took his hand and kissed it. No matter what Le Papillon did, they wouldn’t let that stop them. They had the team. They had each other. This wasn’t the end.

Not by a long shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter left you guys. :D


	24. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien must make a decision.

Adrien sat alone in the locker room for what felt like hours. His mind flashing back and forth Marinette and Ladybug. Ladybug was Marinette.

The love bites she attempted to cover up were a dead giveaway. She sweated off the makeup halfway through the match, the worst possible time for him to find out her identity. Being distracted cost them the final two games. He’d never live it down.

He knew the truth now. “Idiot,” he mumbled. 

He fell for the same girl, twice. Hell, she rejected Chat to be with Adrien. Then she ditched Adrien to be with Chat. They were both idiots, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he loved Marinette.

He had to tell her how he felt.

As Adrien stood up to go, the locker room door opened and slammed shut. “Adrien,” a familiar voice said from behind him. Adrien’s hands went to his face. He still had his mask and ears on. There was only one person who could have know.

“Le Papillon I presume.” Adrien turned to the man in the purple suit. It didn’t take a genius to know that Le Papillon was the coach of Team Akuma. None of the other coaches wore masks. He had to be the real deal.

“Very good.” The man sat on the bench across from Adrien. He lifted off his mask and turned towards the young man.

“Dad?”

“Hello son,” Gabriel smoothed out his hair.

“You never…”

“Mentioned dodgeball before? As much as a shock this is son, I’ve been supporting you this whole time. Why do you think I allowed you to sneak out to practice in the morning, help Natalie arrange your schedule so won’t overwork yourself. I’ve been watching you go from rec center to rec center, dominating the court before you joined a team. You are a prodigy my boy. Dodgeball is in your veins.”

Adrien slumped against the lockers. This was the man he saw at regionals trying to take Team Miraculous out of the circuit. The man who used blackmail and money to get what he wanted. The man who had Fu so scared that the team could not reveal their identities to each other. The reason why he and Ladybug couldn’t be together.

“Why now?” Adrien barked. “Why ware you telling me this now. You could have stopped me from joining the team months ago.”

“I’ve stopped Fu from reforming Team Miraculous for years after what he did. But when he recruited you, I know he went too far. I wanted to destroy the name Team Miraculous’ and bury their legacy.”

“Well, you did a pretty lousy job. The team will be stronger than ever next year.”

“I’d like to see them try. They may be the runners up, but they will never make it to the top. Not after they lose one of their star players.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Join team Akuma. Come to Las Vegas with me to find your mother.”

“My mother?”

“You’ve probably heard the story by now. The first Ladybug abandoning her family to be with her long lost Chat Noir. I’m not surprised Fu left out one critical detail. She was your mother. She left us for America to be with some fool.”

“That you blackmailed to leave the county.”

“That is irrelevant. She was with me for years, she had you. We were happy. Fu had to destroy it all. I recently discovered you mother works for the National Dodgeball League committee under a new name. Taking Team Akuma to the top, with you as their leader could show her what she’s missing in Paris. Join me son, together we could bring your mother home.” Gabriel held his hand out for Adrien.

Adrien didn’t need to think it over. “I decline.” His father was delusional. He’d find his mother his own way. Adrien started for the door.

“All right, I understand.” His father said. “Too bad for Ladybug then.”

He stopped in his tracks. “You leave her out of this.”

“I had a nice chat with her yesterday. Lovely girl, lots of spunk. Reminds me of your mother. I could see why Fu gave Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng the mask.”

“You knew?”

“Of course I knew. Fu may fly under the radar, but I’ve got more pull in this community than you know. Marinette made a lovely dress for the gala. She’s enrolled in fashion school correct?” Adrien remained silent. “One of the requirements for any design major is an internship. It would be a pity if every fashion house in Europe rejected her.”

“You wouldn’t,” Adrien said through his teeth.

“One phone call and she’ll never work in the fashion industry.” Gabriel smiled. “Oh and the cute little bakery her family owns. I would love to start investing in local business or maybe real estate. I could turn that shop into a new Gabriel's.”

“But they live there!”

“I don’t care. Nothing is more important to me than my family. I believe Marinette has the same values. If she was in your position she would not hesitate. Now are you going to join me to get your mother back or sit back and watch your girlfriend’s life implode?”

Adrien lowered his head. He couldn’t do that to Marinette or her family. They’ve worked so hard for everything they have, and for his father to snatch it away from them in an instant would be devastating. “What do you want me to do?”

“Take off that mask.” His father said calmly. “I never want to see it again.”

Adrien slowly peeled his mask of his face and unclipped the ears. The confidence they gave him vanished. He felt vulnerable.

“Excellent my boy.” Gabriel pulled something out of his suit pocket. “Put these on.”

Adrien looked down. It was a white cat mask and ears. He hesitantly took them from his hand. This was for Marinette.

“You will no longer be known as Chat Noir.” His father patted his back. “You are now Chat Blanc.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated. My tumblr is [http://miraculoussideblog.tumblr.com/]()


End file.
